Unchangeable
by Esca Madeline
Summary: Over forty years later, people move on. Lil' Slugger, as well as those involved, has been nearly forgotten. But society often does not learn from its mistakes, and history has a habit of repeating itself...Ch. 13 FINALLY up.
1. Repetition of Things Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Paranoia Agent.

A/N: To those who did not finish the show yet, this story contains slight spoilers. If you already finished the show, or if you just don't care, read on.

Note: This is my take on an A/U-continuation fic.

I cannot believe there are only four stories on this anime on the whole blasted internet. This is a fantastic show! Well, being the courageous idiot that I am, I'm going to try my hand on this. Like my other works, this is a continuation/alternate universe fanfic, taking place forty years after the ending. Since I am no genius like Satoshi Kon, my plot is going to be more linear than his.

Due to the lack of interest in this anime, I'm not expecting this to be read by many.

To my DBZ fans, don't worry. I'm still working on _Rebirth of the Dragon_.

**_Chapter One: Repetition of Things Past_**

Clack. Clack.

"_I came last week, why do I have to come again? Besides, I'm busy…"_

Clack. Clack.

"_I know I promised to bring the report. But you see, something unexpected came up…"_

Clack. Clack. Zing!

"_My kid has to practice for the school play today! I know it's the weekend, but there are weekend rehearsals, you know…"_

Clack. Clack. Clack.

In the darkness of her room, dressed in a uniquely decorated blue skirt and a white blouse, the eighteen-year-old woman slowly pressed the keys of her special typewriter. She didn't open her eyes; she didn't need to. She knew the feeling of the keys all too well.

The door to her room creaked slightly, but she knew who was there. There were only two people in the whole apartment. "I'm almost done," she said quietly as she pressed the last few keys to complete the page. The man, dressed in jeans and a gray sweatshirt, said nothing as he waited by the door. Finally she stood up, straightened her clothes, and picked up a white walking stick that rested next to her chair. She picked up a pair of sunglasses that was on her desk and put them on, and slowly felt her way out of the room, grabbing onto the man at the last moment.

Still in the typewriter, the ink began to dry on the white sheet of paper. On the very top, the title read, _Lil' Slugger: Serial Child Murderer_.

----

"Miss Usagi, we're here."

Outside an old, worn-looking building, the man turned to his female companion, holding her free arm gently as she turned her gaze towards his. Her eyes were covered by a pair of circular black sunglasses, but the man knew that underneath the tinted shades, her eyes, unnaturally bright blue, would be clouded, blank, and unseeing.

The young woman moved aside a strand of black hair from her face and smiled at her caretaker. "Thank you Koji," she said softly as she folded her walking stick. "I'd be lost without you, and I say 'lost' in every sense of the word."

The elder man scoffed and absentmindedly scratched the back of his shaved head. "Don't know about that. But let's not waste time. I heard that Mr. Ikari comes outside the retirement home to nap on the porch during this time. You don't want to miss him."

"What? I thought we were going inside."

Koji chuckled. "Miss Usagi, my connections don't run that deep anymore, you know that. And I know how retirement homes work, and they don't let you in the rooms unless you're family, which we're not, volunteers, who we're not, or a cop on a case…which we're also not."

The woman pouted. "Oh, alright. I just folded up my stick too…"

"I'll lead you. Just hang on to me." With the woman holding onto his arm, Koji walked slowly to the back of the building, where an elderly man was sitting on a porch swing that seemed as old as he was. There was an emergency oxygen unit next to him, but the oxygen mask wasn't on his face, so he seemed to be alright. His eyes seemed to be staring at something far away, as if he was thinking of something distant.

"I think that's him," Koji whispered. "Be careful…he's pushing ninety years."

The two approached the old man, who in turn slowly raised his eyes to meet theirs. Or Koji's, anyway. The woman seemed to sense that they had the person's attention, and she gave the man a small smile.

"Good afternoon, sir," she said in a soft voice. "Wonderful day, isn't it?'

The old man said nothing. His gaze became confused, and somewhat apprehensive.

"My name is Yuki Usagi," the woman continued. She turned to Koji. "This is my caretaker, Koji Garyou. We came to talk to you, sir."

"What…do you want?" The old man asked finally, watching the two carefully. His voice was raspy and worn down with old age. Both Koji and Yuki noticed that the man took breaths in the middle of his sentences. "Are you…one of those horrible volunteers, who insult me as I sleep…and steal my snacks when the nurses aren't looking?"

"Oh no sir!" Yuki said quickly. She let go of Koji and felt her way to an empty space on the dilapidated porch swing. "I came to keep you company sir. Just because." She grinned, and the old man snorted, though a small smile made its way to the corner of his lips.

"We'll see. What can I do…for a young lady like yourself? Are you here…to visit a relative?"

"No…I already visited a relative in the hospital across the street," Yuki said carefully. That wasn't a total lie; she did visit someone there a few days ago. " I came here specifically to see you…Chief Ikari."

The old man stopped, and stared at Yuki in shock before he began to wheeze, something that seemed to be his equivalence of laughter. "No one's…called me that…in so long," he wheezed. "Not since…the Lil' Slugger incident."

"Little Slugger?" Yuki asked, hoping that her voice sounded genuinely confused. "Who's that?"

"You wouldn't…know him," Ikari said, calming down. "He was…before your time…and his." He jerked his head in the direction of Koji, who snorted. Yuki, with her ailment, didn't see this.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but who do you mean by 'his?'"

"I'm talking about…your bodyguard over there!" Ikari said, annoyed. "What are you, blind?"

Yuki paused for a minute. "Yes," she said finally. Ikari fell silent.

"Oh…I'm sorry…I didn't know…"

Yuki smiled. "It's alright. I'm glad you didn't notice. Makes me feel better that I blend in with society."

"That's not…always a good thing," Ikari muttered. He turned his gaze to the streets, and watched the people pass by. "Society can be…horrible and cruel to many. Sometimes, people…create fantasies to ease the pain of society…to block out the bad parts. And in the end…many create illusions just to keep on living."

"We knew where those people are, old man," Koji interrupted. "They're residing at the mental rehabilitation centers, or at hospitals."

"Koji, hush!" Yuki scolded.

"When Lil' Slugger came," Ikari mumbled, "I thought, I wondered…if things would change…"

Yuki noticed the sudden weariness in Ikari's voice. "Sir, why did you think that things would change? Why would Lil' Slugger have changed society?"

"Tsukiko Sagi…big pain in the…" Ikari nodded off and began to snore.

"Mr. Ikari?" Yuki gently shook the old man. "Mr. Ikari?" When she got no response, Yuki frowned and got up, grabbing onto Koji's waiting hand as he led her to the streets.

----

"Well, that was a waste of time," Koji mumbled as he and Yuki walked up the streets together. He felt Yuki tense beside him, and he quickly added, "But don't worry, Miss Usagi. I'm sure we can find other sources for your new book."

"I hope so," Yuki said as she tapped the ground with her walking stick. "They actually gave me a deadline this time. We can go back to Mr. Ikari another time. Maybe he'll be more refreshed then."

"You know…I don't really think that the whole 'Lil' Slugger' incident was real," Koji said as-a-matter-of-factly. "It sounds like a bunch of nonsense, if you ask me."

"Don't be ridiculous, Koji. There were several serial assaults and murders over forty years ago, all said to be committed by the same boy. And Japan _was _nearly destroyed in the same time period."

"Yeah, well, if you've ever checked the updated police records, the files would show that it was an attack by a psychotic suicide-terror cult that decided to take all of Japan with them when they decided to kill themselves. For all we know, the assaults could have also been made by said group."

Yuki frowned, and plopped herself on a nearby street bench after feeling her stick tap against it. "Then how do you explain the victims seeing the same boy over and over again?" she protested. "He was an elementary school kid, and he had a baseball cap, golden rollerblades, and a golden bat bent at a forty-five degree angle—"

"—like a dog's leg," Koji finished. "Please, let's not go over this again. I know it by heart now. And that doesn't prove anything. There was evidence of a gas leak in Japan that altered the minds of many civilians, so they probably saw things that weren't there, or may have in fact been something else entirely. Besides, that suicide-terror cult I mentioned may have had an army of psychotic little boys with bats and rollerblades. It might have been their cult outfit, for all we know. Besides," Koji added, smirking, "no one has ever truly seen the kid's face."

Yuki opened her mouth to protest, then closed it. She personally thought that the police report sounded more like a two-bit cover-up, but once Koji had his mind set on something, it was almost impossible to deal with him, especially on matters that concerned the police.

"And," Koji continued, "just because there is a little gang running around _today_ copying the Lil' Slugger legend doesn't mean a thing. They just copied rumors. Urban legends. It happens."

Yuki remained silent.

"Can't you write about something else? I heard that they convicted the guy who's accused of killing his entire family with a spork. Write on that guy."

A frown grew on the woman's face. "Another time. I have my mind set on Lil' Slugger."

Koji sighed, and took out a cigarette. "I give up," he said. He took out a lighter and lit the cigarette. "I completely give up. Go on, write about the little psychopath. What business is it to me? I'm _just_ your caretaker, after all."

"Koji…don't be like that."

"I most certainly _will_ be like that! You never listen to me!"

"Koji!"

The argument between the two shut out the environment around them, and they failed to realize a boy in rollerblades and a backwards baseball cap skating towards them. In one hand, he held a metal bat, which he scraped on the streets as he began to pick up speed. With a demented grin spreading across his features, he raised the bat as he approached the two, and swung down just as Koji turned his head to see what the noise was…

"YEEAAAAAGGGH!"

----

Koji screamed and closed his eyes as he saw the momentary glint of metal. Damn it, what were the odds that Lil' Slugger struck him just when he claimed that the little nut never existed? Damn Karma! It was always against him! Wait a minute. Why was he still thinking? Shouldn't he be dead by now?

Koji slowly opened his eyes as he found himself inches away from a sliver baseball bat. He turned his gaze a few inches to the left, and saw the face…of a blond teenager in a blue baseball cap and black rollerblades, who was trying to contain his laughter.

"Jakkaru!" Koji yelled, pushing the bat out of the way to smack the boy upside the head. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You trying to give me a heart attack?"

"What's going on?" Yuki asked, startled. She twisted her head in all directions. "What happened? Koji, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Koji snarled, glaring at Jakkaru in intense dislike. "It's that stupid Jakkaru brat."

"You know, Garyou," said Jakkaru coyly as he picked lint off of his black sweatshirt, "considering all the time I spent with you, you'd think you'd start calling me Hisshino by now."

"Shut the fuck up," Koji snapped. "I have nothing to say to a Lil' Slugger copycat. Especially one who dyes his hair _platinum_."

"You call it copying, but I call it…flattering. And at least I have hair," Jakkaru retorted, patting Koji's shaved head and pulling his hand back before Koji could bite it. "So Miss Usagi," Jakkaru said, turning towards the blind woman, "was my lead helpful?"

"Kind of," Yuki said, finally finding the source of his voice. She reached up and touched Jakkaru's face. "Thank you for your help."

Jakkaru smiled and covered her hands with his. "No problem. I owe you one for hiding me from my pops when he wanted to kick the living crap out of me. You're like the sister I kind of wanted sometimes."

Yuki laughed and withdrew her hands. "I suppose I should be flattered. By the way, how's your relationship going with that girl? Migoto Taira?"

"Her? I broke up with her a few weeks ago. Not my type. Besides, she tried to interfere with my…group activities."

Yuki sighed. "You're a good kid, Hisshino. Why did you join that horrible Shonen Bat gang?"

"They're not horrible! They're my family! They feed me, they take care of me, and they even lend me money when I need it!"

"And where exactly did the money come from?" Koji asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the fourteen-year-old. "From the pockets of the people whose head you smashed?"

Jakkaru scowled. "Hey, I never smashed anyone's head!"

"Maybe not you, but your friends certainly have. Ever watch the news, boy?"

"Koji, that's enough!" Yuki yelled. She stood up, walking stick in tow, and turned to Jakkaru. "Thank you for your assistance, Hisshino. We'll take our leave, now."

"You sure there isn't anything you want to know about your new book?" the teen asked as Yuki took Koji's arm. "I mean, coming from the gang who's based on Lil' Slugger, I think we can give you a _little_ more information."

Koji snorted. "The information about Ikari was helpful enough," the older man sneered. "Thanks anyway—Miss Usagi!" Koji stared as the young woman pulled away from his grip and grasped onto Jakkaru.

"Can you find out something for me?" Yuki asked, holding the teen by the shoulders. Jakkaru nodded slowly. "Can you find out any background information on Lil' Slugger? Why you guys wear skates and carry bats? Why the original attacked the people he attacked?"

"Uh, sure," Jakkaru agreed. "Anything for you, Miss Usagi."

Yuki smiled, and listened as he skated away. She felt Koji's strong hand on her shoulder, and she turned around and grasped his arm. "Okay, we can go now."

"Can we go home, Miss? You have class tomorrow at the university tomorrow."

"Not yet," Yuki said. "Let's go to the internet café."

"What for?"

"For information, of course!" Yuki said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "We need to get information on Tsukiko Sagi, the woman Ikari mentioned!"

----

Hisshino Jakkaru leaped over the stone steps of the park and rushed past two children, grabbing an ice cream cone that one of them had just purchased from the ice cream vendor.

"Hey!" the girl wailed, but Jakkaru paid no attention as he licked off the dripping chocolate. Speeding through a red light, he turned a sharp corner and disappeared down a garbage filled alley, swerving around broken beer bottles in the process. He came to a dead end, with the brick and cement wall lined with graffiti. On the left side was a red door that led to a tavern. On the right side was a wooden door that looked like it had once been fed on by hundreds of termites. The yellow paint was peeling off, revealing the rotting wood that lay underneath. Jakkaru hesitated for a moment, then knocked on the yellow door with his bat once, twice, then once again.

The door creaked open slowly, with the chain still on. Jakkaru caught a glimpse of a shining eye behind the door before it slammed shut in his face. He heard sounds of the chain being unhooked, before the door swung open to reveal a younger boy, also wearing a cap and holding a bat, although his bat was wooden. The boy was in his socks, and Jakkaru took off his own black rollerblades before he stepped inside the building.

"What's up Tori?" Jakkaru greeted, lightly punching the boy with his fist. Youji Tori frowned and crossed his arms in irritation.

"You're late," Tori said darkly. "Nezumi's pissed. I think it's about those funds you, eh, _borrowed_. I think you overdid it this time."

Jakkaru laid his rollerblades slowly against the wall and frowned. "I only took a ten thousand yen bill," he said in protest. "That's normally chump change, isn't it?"

"We haven't been getting many hits, lately," Tori explained. "And Nezumi said that he thought…it…was time…" Tori's body visibly froze as he looked over Jakkaru's shoulder, and his eyes widened with a mixture of respect, worry, and fear. Jakkaru slowly turned around and found himself face to face with a very pissed off looking, redheaded sixteen-year-old.

"H-hey, Nezumi," Jakkaru stammered, smiling nervously. The redhead growled in response. Then, without warning, he grabbed Jakkaru by the back of the head and smashed his face against the wall. Tori cried out in horror as Nezumi pulled Jakkaru's head back, with the teen's nose smashed in the process.

"Get out," Nezumi growled, and Tori hesitated only for a moment before scampering off into the next room. Nezumi turned his attention back to the teen in his grasp, who was now gasping due to his broken, bloody nose.

"Nezumi," Jakkaru gasped. "What the fuck is going on?" Nezumi smiled cruelly and dropped the younger teen on the floor, retrieving the boy's own silver bat from where it rested against the wall.

"I've been thinking, Jakkaru," Nezumi said.

"Well, that's a first," Jakkaru muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

Nezumi glared at the boy before continuing. "I've been nice to you, haven't I? I let you get out of making hits. I let you go to school. And I let you use our precious fund money. But I've been thinking…that you don't really pull your weight around here." The redhead began to pace around the room, dragging the silver bat behind him in a menacing fashion. "I mean, you've been here for over a year, but you've yet to make your first hit. I mean, look at Tori. He's ten, and He's already made three hits."

"You told me I could wait until I was ready," Jakkaru whispered.

"Yeah? Well, I decided to hurry it along." Nezumi stopped his pacing and lowered his face until it was inches away from Jakkaru's. "I don't like the fact that I'm spending the group's funding on you…when you don't even bring in a single cent."

Jakkaru jerked away from the redhead, and Nezumi smiled sadistically. "Tell you what I'm going to do," Nezumi said. "I won't beat you to a pulp like I originally intended. Instead, I'll let you work off your debt."

"So it's my debt now?' Jakkaru asked in disbelief, but he was ignored by the redhead.

"I figure I've wasted about five hundred thousand yen on you, so until you come back with exactly five hundred thousand yen, I don't want to see your face around here again."

"F-five hundred thousand?" Jakkaru's mouth dropped in disbelief. "No kid has that kind of money!"

"Be glad I'm not adding interest, kid," Nezumi sneered. "And I'm not asking for a deadline, so be grateful for that too. But—" Nezumi's lips curled upwards unpleasantly "—if you take _too_ long, I'll pay you a visit. And not because I want to see your putrid face."

"F-five hundred thousand…"

"And if you don't pay it back—" Nezumi jabbed the bat like it was a spear at Jakkaru's stomach "—I will personally make sure you will never set foot in our gang, or any other gang in Japan, ever again. Do I make myself clear?"

Jakkaru didn't answer.

Nezumi snarled, and without warning, swung the bat down. Jakkaru screamed and covered his head, only to find out that Nezumi had stopped the swing an inch away from his ear. Jakkaru swallowed nervously and nodded. "I got you."

"Good. I'm glad we came to an understanding."

----

Yuki inhaled the air. She couldn't explain it, but the smell had _changed_. Not only was the air cooler, but the scent had altered from the afternoon, a change that let her know it was night. Groaning mentally, she began a countdown.

_Five…four…three…two…one…_

"Can't we go next week, Miss Usagi? It's getting late and you have class tomorrow."

Always he was on schedule, that Koji.

"Koji, it's an afternoon class. And this is my last chance to see Tsukiko Sagi until next Sunday, and you know I can't afford to wait a week." She heard Koji sigh, a sign of his defeat.

"Very well, Miss Usagi. We're here." She felt him stop abruptly, as if he had planned to just keep walking past their destination. _Oh, Koji…_

Releasing Koji, she stretched her hand until it came in contact with stone. She ran her hands over it until she felt metal, with letters on it. She traced the letters for a moment before smiling. "This is it," she whispered.

"I told you we were here," Koji said, annoyed. "You didn't have to check."

"Forgive me Koji, but I felt the need to be sure that you didn't just bring me _home_." 

"Ha." Koji took her arm in a strong grip and Yuki felt herself being led inside the building. "Very funny."

"Don't you think it was strange, though?" Yuki asked as she heard an elevator ping. "When we checked the internet café…we found almost no information on Tsukiko Sagi, other than the fact that she was a character designer who created a doll called Maromi." She turned to Koji and squeezed his arm. "What was Maromi?"

"I dunno," Koji said, his voice still slightly peeved. "I never heard of it."

The elevator stopped, and Yuki felt Koji lead her out of the elevator, pulling her past the musky scented halls that smelled of air freshener and cheap carpeting that had yet to be vacuumed. Koji stopped suddenly, and Yuki heard him knock strongly on the door. She heard the door creak open slowly, and put on her best smile.

----

Koji watched the door open slowly, and found himself staring at a pair of shy, dark brown eyes coming from a pale, wrinkled face.

"W-who are you?" the old woman asked, and Yuki immediately sprang forward with an introduction.

"Good evening, ma'am," she greeted. "Please forgive me and my caretaker for intruding at this hour."

"What do you want?" the old woman asked, her voice full of suspicion and distrust.

"We're looking for a woman called Tsukiko Sagi," Koji said, his voice suddenly businesslike. "We were told she lived here."

"I am she," the old woman said slowly.

Yuki smiled. "Well, ma'am, I am Yuki Usagi, and I just wanted to ask you a few questions. Can we come in?"

Tsukiko Sagi paused for a moment. "Aren't you that psychological writer?" she asked finally. "The one who writes books on troubled human minds."

"Yes," Yuki said, blushing.

"What do you want with me?" Tsukiko asked, finally stepping aside so that they could come in. Yuki tapped her way inside the room as Koji took a quick scan at everything inside.

It was a small room, painted white with a dark yellow light throwing an eerie glow over the entire area. There was a small cot in the corner, with a laptop on it, and there were two doors, one which led to the kitchen and the other which probably lead to the bathroom. A small TV set stood near the bed, next to a small chair. And in the corner of the room, the corner closest to the door, was a small black drawer. Heaped on top of the drawer were arrays of stuffed animals that seemed cute at first glance, but looked eerily creepy after a while.

"Nice room," Koji said, trying to hide his sarcasm. While Tsukiko missed it, Yuki caught the tone of his voice and turned back to him, frowning.

"So what does a young woman like you want with me?" Tsukiko asked, pulling out the chair for Yuki. Yuki turned back to Tsukiko and slowly felt her way to the chair and sat down, as Tsukiko sat on the bed.

_Well, thanks for remembering me,_ Koji thought as he leaned against the wall.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions," Yuki said slowly. "It is very difficult to find any information about you, Miss Sagi, and that prompted me to come all the way here."

"Why do you want information on me?" Tsukiko asked.

"Well…" Yuki twiddled her thumbs together. "I was hoping you could help me with my next book. I'm writing on the strange little boy, Lil' Slugger, and I hoped that you could help me."

Koji noticed that Tsukiko's body became very stiff.

"What do you want to know about Lil' Slugger?" Tsukiko asked slowly.

"Well, he's an infamous urban legend, ma'am, but there is evidence that shows he once existed. The Shonen Bat gang, for example. And the fact that there had been an investigation. There is an unofficial report that states that there are several people who claim to have been attacked by the same boy, in rollerblades, a baseball cap, and a bat. I know the names of one of the two detectives who supposedly investigated the case," Yuki said, smiling, "and he sort of nodded off, but he said something about society changing. Then he mentioned your name before he nodded off."

Koji watched as Tsukiko looked down at her lap, her eyes suddenly becoming haunted. Then, the eyes went back to their normal, somewhat dazed state.

"I was one of the victims," Tsukiko said quietly, and both Koji's and Yuki's jaw dropped.

"That's impossible," Koji said suddenly, earning him the attention of both women. "The _official_ report did not include your name. I read it myself!"

"I was not listed as an official victim because I _wasn't_ an official victim."

"Wait," Koji said, scratching his shaved head. "I'm confused."

"I was supposedly the first victim of Lil' Slugger," Tsukiko said quietly, "but I faked my own attack. I blamed it on a boy I imagined when I was younger. He was a scapegoat…but he came to life."

Yuki paused for a moment. "He…came to life?" she repeated uncertainly.

"Yes." Tsukiko twisted her hands together. "From my mind, he came to life, and was able to attack others."

"What do you mean?" Yuki asked. "Are you saying that you have some supernatural power, or something?"

Tsukiko didn't seem to hear her; it was as if she was now in her own little world. "I didn't know he was mine," she whispered. "I had forgotten…oh, if only Maromi had let me see!"

"Okay…" Koji walked over to Yuki and began to tug at her arm. It's getting really late, Miss Usagi. Let's go home and let Miss Sagi go to bed…and take any medication she might need."

"Wasn't Maromi your successful character creation?" Yuki pressed. "What part does Maromi play in all this?"

"It was all Maromi," Tsukiko whispered. "Maromi wouldn't let me face the problem on my own."

Koji was now beginning to get a bit wary. "Okay, we'll let you deal with Maromi. Come on, Miss Usagi!" Koji tried to drag her out, but Yuki pulled away and touched Tsukiko's shoulder. The old woman stared at her with widened eyes, as if it was the first time she was seeing Yuki.

"Can you draw them?" Yuki asked. "Can you draw a picture of Maromi and Lil' Slugger for me?"

Tsukiko didn't move.

"If they are connected in your mind…I need to know. Please, show me what they looked like."

Tsukiko stared at Yuki for a moment. Then she stood up, and grabbed a piece of paper and pencil that was resting on top of the television set. She then sat down and began to draw.

Koji fidgeted. "Miss Usagi…"

"Hush."

Both Koji and Yuki watched Tsukiko as she drew on the paper, first slowly and carefully. Then she flipped the paper and began to draw rapidly, almost without concern. Then, before anyone could blink, she thrust the paper into Yuki's hand. "There," she whispered. "That's it. Take it. Now please go."

Tsukiko's hands were trembling. Koji opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. Taking Yuki by the arm, he led the young woman out the door.

----

Jakkaru skated slowly, silver bat dragging slowly on the street, creating a scraping noise that annoyed many of the people he passed by. He paid them no heed, though. He was going to the last place he wanted to go to.

Turning a corner, he entered a street full of similarly built houses. Despite the darkness, the lawn decorations, and the color difference, all of the homes had the same design, the same look, and the same kinds of families. Middle class hypocrites.

Stopping in front of a white house with a red roof, Jakkaru went to a small bush that grew happily in the corner and carefully hid his bat and cap beneath its leaves. When it was hidden from view, he slowly skated up the concrete walkway towards the steps, and stopped in front of the door.

_Fuck…I never wanted to end up back here.  
_

But then again, it was either this or a night in the park. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the doorknob. Before he could touch it, it turned, and the door swung open, nearly hitting him in the face. Jakkaru leapt back, nearly falling off the stairs in the process, and glared at the person who carelessly opened the door…before his eyes widened.

"Oh my god," the woman whispered. She dropped the bundle of garbage in her hand and slowly walked toward him, as if she couldn't believe he was real. "Oh my god," she said again. My son…"

"Hey, Ma," Jakkaru said quietly. "How's your week been?"

"Where…where have you been all week?" she whispered, stroking his dyed locks. "What on earth happened to your nose?" She touched his smashed nose, and Jakkaru pulled back, mostly from the pain.

"Who…Who's there?" A gruff voice yelled from within the house, and Jakkaru froze. Oh god, the old man was home. _Well, of course he'd be home_, a nasty little voice whispered. _It's ten in the evening._ A faint smell of beer hit his nose, and Jakkaru felt his heart stop. _He's drunk too…_

"It's Hisshino!" his mother cried. "Our son is back!" She pushed Jakkaru into the house, much to his dismay, and closed the door behind him. Now he was trapped in his own kitchen. The park was looking better by the minute.

A man with disheveled, graying black hair stormed in, his eyes wild and stormy. Jakkaru actually felt a twinge of fear as his father stepped menacingly closer to him.

"D-dad," Jakkaru began, but he didn't get to finish.

CRACK! His cheek met the back of his father's hand in a fierce slap, and the teen staggered as his mother screamed. Had his father decided to punch him, he would have had a broken jaw to worry about.

"You ingrate," his father hissed. "You irresponsible bastard!" He lifted his hand to smack him again, but his mother stepped in front of him, arms wide to protect her son. "Get out of the way," he snarled, and tried to shove the woman aside. "Let me kill him! He cost me everything!"

"Honey, I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose!" Jakkaru's mother cried, trying to keep the two men apart. "It's not his fault you lost your job!"

"Oh yes it is!" Jakkaru's father yelled. "Because of his damn testosterones, my boss's daughter is now fucked for life! You were her boyfriend! And he blamed me for not raising my child right!" He glared at his son. "The moment you came into my life, you've been nothing but trouble. I never wanted you."

"He doesn't mean that!" Jakkaru's mother cried. "He doesn't mean that!"

"All those arrests, all those failing grades…you made me look like a fool in front of the neighbors and my friends. You don't even have a job. Do you realize the damn mortgage rate is getting higher? You damn piece of crap!"

"Stop it!" Jakkaru's mother screamed. "We would have more money if you didn't go to all those expensive restaurants with your friends! You waste more money on your own personal appearance than you do on us! And you drink and smoke so much! Damn it, you're not even sober now!"

"I'm sober enough to do this!" Jakkaru's father shoved his wife aside, and lunged at his son, grabbing the teen by the neck as they both crashed to the ground. Jakkaru choked; the man was trying to strangle him! Suddenly, his mother grabbed his father from behind, and his father hand to drop him to get the clinging woman off. Jakkaru didn't waste a moment; he scrambled to his feet and raced out of the door, skating down the stairs and to the bush just as his father crashed through the doorway. "GET BACK HERE, BOY!" he roared as he ran like a madman towards Jakkaru.

Jakkaru grabbed the bat just as his father grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt. Without thinking, and due to the fear that constricted his insides, he swung with all his might at his father's head, and in a second he heard a deafening CRACK.

In horror, Jakkaru watched as his father's body crumpled to the ground, the jaw sagging open in what appeared to be shock as the eyes remained open, staring stunned at the world. From inside the house, his mother screamed.

Jakkaru couldn't think. He didn't know what to do. His first hit…and he had severely injured, maybe even killed his own father. Suddenly, something in his mind snapped. He bent down, and searched his father's pockets. Taking out a thick wallet from the man's back pocket, Jakkaru picked up his bat and baseball cap and skated away.

----

"The human psyche, although seemingly simple, is quite complex and not at all easy to understand…"

As the professor spoke, Yuki typed every word, concentration on the man's voice and nothing else. Next to her, Koji sat with a tape recorder in his hand, recording the lecture in case Yuki's fingers weren't fast enough.

"Did you hear?" a girl whispered behind her. "I heard that there was a serious attack by the Shonen Bat gang."

Yuki stopped typing.

"Oh please," a boy whispered back. "Those thugs attack someone every day."

"This one's different!" the girl insisted. "This nut attacked and robbed his own family."

Yuki leaned backwards, trying to catch more of the conversation.

"You're kidding," the boy whispered. "Who's the attacker?"

"I heard it's a junior high school student—"

"Ahem?" The professor's voice cut through the conversation, and the two fell silent.

Mentally, Yuki was stunned. She knew that the older members of the gang attacked people on the streets, but she had never before now heard of one attacking his own family. As the professor droned on, she resumed her typing. She would have to find out more.

After class, much to Koji's protests, she tried to find Jakkaru. She waited at their usual spot, but he never showed up. Yuki was deeply disturbed.

Later that night, the news report confirmed her fears.

Jakkaru had put his father in a coma, and had stolen fifty thousand yen from him.

----

Hell.

That was the only word that could perfectly describe the past two weeks. Two weeks he had skated at night, mugging, robbing, assaulting…

He didn't want to do this. Being a part of the gang had been fun. They had made him feel like he had a home, a shelter from the bastard that called itself life. But he had tried to avoid the assaults, the robberies, and the negative part of the gang to ease his conscience. And he had been successful for over a year. Now all that came crashing down on his head.

The woman screamed as Jakkaru sped towards her, and for a brief moment she tried to run. He easily reached her, and as he passed, he brought the silver bat down heavily on her head.

CLUNK.

Standing over the woman's fallen form, Jakkaru grabbed her purse and skated away as fast as he could.

_I didn't want things to come to this._

He hid in an empty alley, a place he currently called home. Crawling into a cardboard box, he turned the purse upside down and quickly searched through its contents.

The woman had a five thousand yen bill…nothing else.

Despair overcame him. The whole time he had only collected a little over two hundred thousand yen. And now the police were everywhere, searching for him. His damn mother had given them his name. Tori sometimes snuck over to see him, but the visits had been brief. No one in the gang was allowed to see him until he had the money.

Jakkaru brought his knees to his chest and began to sob. He hadn't eaten or slept properly in ages now. He couldn't go home, and no one wanted to be with him. And all because of the Shonen Bat gang…

"_You're a good kid, Hisshino. Why did you join that horrible Shonen Bat gang?"  
_

Jakkaru's head snapped up. Yuki Usagi…she would help him. She was tons of money left over from her last book. She would help him! Jakkaru began to laugh insanely. Yes! She would help him!

----

"I just can't believe it," Yuki muttered to herself.

"What can't you believe, Miss Usagi?" the twin girls asked. Yuki couldn't see them, but she knew they were staring at her with their round, curious eyes.

"Oh, nothing," she said. She smiled as she tucked them back into the hospital beds. "I was just thinking about a boy."

"Is it a _cute_ boy?" one of the twins asked slyly. Yuki couldn't help but chuckle; it was hard to believe they were supposed to be ten.

"I suppose he is," she laughed. "I'm glad to see your bipolar disorders are getting better. Good thing, too. My internship is almost up."

"Aww!" The girls groaned. "We don't like the other psychiatrists! They're mean and they only make us take medicine!"

"Sorry," Yuki apologized as she picked up her bag, not seeing that a slip of paper fell out of it. "I have to go. I'll see you guys next week, okay?"

"Boo," one of the twins said. Yuki smiled and began to tap her way out of the room. Koji stood outside, waiting like always.

"How's Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb?" he asked.

"Must you insult them?"

"Sorry Miss Usagi."

They said no more as they walked past the adult patients' rooms and out of the building together. Yuki sniffed the cool air; it was already night. She sighed.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking." Yuki fingered her bag as they walked down the street. "We haven't gotten any more information. I'm starting to get worried, Koji. I haven't even finished chapter one, and god knows how long Lil' Slugger's case might be."

"I still think the official police report is correct," Koji mumbled. He yelped when Yuki pinched his arm. "Ow! I'm sorry, alright?"

"If only I can get a copy of the unofficial record," Yuki said thoughtfully as she reached into her bag. "The one that Ikari and his partner wrote. Or maybe if I can just find his other partner. He was younger, so I doubt he'll doze off whenever I ask him something important—oh no!" Yuki searched frantically through her bag. "The sketch! I can't find it!"

"Where did you last have it?"

"At the hospital's children's ward…oh no. I must have left it with the twins!" Yuki turned around and began to tap as fast as she could back towards the hospital. "I have to get there before visitor hours are over. Oh Koji, help me!"

She heard Koji sigh before saying, "Yes Miss." In a matter of moments, they were back in the children's ward, and Yuki burst into the twin's room, hearing them squeal.

"Oh, look at the cute doggie! I want one!"

"Excuse me, girls?" Yuki asked, reaching out and touching one of their curly heads. "Is that a paper with two drawings on it?"

"Yep!" one of the twins replied. "We like the doggie. It's so cute! It has a mushroom-shaped head!"

"We don't like the boy," voiced the other twin. "He looks creepy, especially with that bat in his hand."

"Ah. Well, may I have it back?"

"Aw! Do we have to give it?"

"_Now_."

----

Jakkaru had seen them emerging from the hospital, then running back inside the hospital, and then coming back out again. Yuki looked visibly relieved the second time, and she clutched a piece of paper to her bosom like it was a newborn babe.

This was his chance to finish his crime spree. But what he was going to do…it shook him to his core, but if he didn't do it…Jakkaru shook his head, trying to stay calm.

He skated behind them quietly, waiting until they were in an isolated area. He slug his somewhat dented bat over his shoulder, as to not make a sound. But strangely, he heard a scraping sound coming from behind _him._

He turned around, but he didn't see anything. _Must be my imagination_, he thought. _Damn muggings are making me paranoid…_

Jakkaru realized that Yuki and Koji had turned a corner that lead to an empty street. His legs, almost as if they were trained, began to pick up speed as he skated towards the two. His thoughts became as blurred just like his sight as he went faster and faster, his mind knew only how to move his arms as he raised his bat and swung at Koji Garyou's head, this time for real. The man, as if by instinct, turned with wide eyes, but by then it was too late.

----

Yuki heard a sickening crack as Koji cried out in pain, and she felt his slip from her arm, nearly dragging her down with him as his body hit the street.

"Koji?" she whimpered. Now it felt dark. She suddenly felt alone. She bent down and began to shake him. "Koji? Are you alright? Answer me, please!"

"Garyou is not here at the moment," a boy said in a flat voice. "Please hang up and dial again."

"Hisshino!" Yuki cried. "What have you done? Why did you attack Koji?"

"I'll explain later." His hand painfully grabbed her arm, and she felt herself being dragged to god-knows-where by the teen.

"What do you think you are doing, Hisshino? Release me at once!"

"Not until we get to an ATM machine," Jakkaru said oddly, and Yuki realized he had gone insane.

"HELP!" she screamed. "SOMEBODY, PLEASE HE—Agghh!" Jakkaru slapped her across the face with all the strength he had, which was surprisingly _a lot_. Her walking stick fell to the ground, forgotten.

"Shut up!" he swore. "Just give me three hundred thousand yen, or I'll crack your head open right here!" Yuki trembled, and then brought her knee up, hoping it hits its mark.

Jakkaru suddenly gasped and swore as he released her, and she, still grasping the paper, began to run blindly away from him. She had no idea where she was, or where she was going. She was just stumbling around in the dark, and she had no idea what to do. Too quickly, she heard the sound of rollerblades behind her, and she began to get hysterical.

"SOMEBODY! HELP ME! OW!" She dropped the sketch as she crashed into something around her midsection, something hard, large, and metal. She felt it; it was a stationary car. She felt the object next to it; it was another car. And another, and another…

This was a parking lot. That meant that there had to be a building close by. Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself as she tried to find the building…until she felt a body against her own. She panicked and tried to run, until she heard the metal bat smash against one of the cars. The sound shocked her so much that her body froze, much to her mind's protest. She remained absolutely still as she felt the metal bat press against her cheek, and she stopped breathing.

"Give me the money," Jakkaru hissed. Yuki couldn't answer; her voice was gone. Great, now she was mute too… "_Give me the money_," Jakkaru repeated, pressing the bat harder against her face. Yuki tried to remain calm, and tried to speak, but all that came out of her mouth was a small squeak.

In the distance, she heard rollerblades, but that couldn't be Jakkaru; he was right here with her. Must be _reinforcements_. When she still didn't speak, Jakkaru let out a mighty roar and Yuki shrieked as she heard the bat swing in the air, but then she heard something unexpected.

CRACK.

A sickening crack, much like Koji's, had resonated off of Jakkaru's head, and she could only image the boy crumpling to the ground of the parking lot. She backed away in horror, and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, which slowly brought her back to sanity.

What had just happened? She had heard rollerblades, and had originally assumed it was another Shonen Bat member. Wasn't it another member? She listened to her surroundings, and found it eerily quiet. Gulping, she stepped back and felt her foot step on something.

_Oh no! The sketch!_

She bent down and tried to pick it up, only to find her hand brush against a clothed arm. She froze, but tried to keep her over-beating heart intact. She moved her hand and came in contact with a bat. A horribly bent bat…

"Thank you," the person said, and Yuki realized that it was a young boy. She felt him press the sketch into her hand, and then she heard him skate away…he was on rollerblades…

Yuki slumped to the ground, her mind jumbled in a heap of unorganized thoughts. Who on earth was that?

**Yeah. I'm trying this angle. You like? (Avoids rotten vegetables) Oh fine. It's just an experiment! Read and review if you want me to continue this. Not as confident with this fic as I am with my others.**


	2. Unplanned

Disclaimer: I don't own PA. If I did, then Maniwa wouldn't have ended up as an old, wrinkled prune.

A/N: Wow…all those reviews. Thanks everyone.

This chapter is a follow-up on another character from the original series, but for those who dislike follow-ups, I swear, this won't happen next time. Maybe in a chapter far off from now, but not next time.

Warning: Getting more mature here, but does not involve sex scenes…so it's still T…

_**Chapter two: Unplanned**_

Tick. Tock. Up on the wall, the clock's gears moved rhythmically, casting a sense of strange calm over the room. Tick. Tock.

Kneeled on the cold, white marble floor, an elderly-looking man drew pleasing shapes and figures with a black, inky marker. It was too late to go outside and draw in the street; the hospital staff frowned on that. But he felt as if he _had_ to draw, as if there was an invisible force controlling his thoughts and movements. And, seeing that he had no paper, the white floor was the next best thing.

_There was a rabbit on the left, with a dragon curled around it..._

There had been a lot of noise outside his room earlier. He had dragged himself out of bed to see what the commotion was about, and he was almost immediately knocked back by a sprinting doctor, who was running as if his life depended on it. A large group of people had gathered nearby, most of them policemen, and they were following a young woman wearing shades as she clung to a young man dressed in a gray suit and tie.

_There was a fox waiting in the corner, jaws open and ready to snap…_

His insides had clenched at the sight of the woman.

_There was_ _a jackal and a fish, twisting their bodies against one another…_

He had just finished coloring the fish when the floor nurse burst in the room, with a cup of water and a tray full of medication. Her eyes immediately fell on him kneeling, and then her eyes traveled slowly to the hand that held the marker, and to the still inky figures on the floor.

"Mr. Maniwa!" she shrieked. "Not again! How many times do I have to tell you? You do not draw on the _floor_!" She marched over to the man and snatched the marker from his hand, stepping on two of the figures as she did so. "I can't believe this," she muttered. Turning to Maniwa, she glared and him and snapped, "Go back to bed, _sir_. I'll be back to clean this up."

Maniwa said nothing. He simply watched as the woman left, leaving inky, black footprints on the floor as she walked.

On the floor, the jackal and the fish lay smeared.

Tick. Tock.

----

"Let's go over this one more time, Miss Usagi."

Yuki sat on the hospital bed quietly, hands on her lap, with the sketch folded and hidden in one hand. Her shades were off and her eyes were open, revealing the shocking bright blue that passed for her eye color. Though she couldn't see him, she could tell from the tightness and nervousness of his voice that the detective in front of her was trying his hardest not to notice her eyes.

"We found Hisshino Jakkaru unconscious next to you earlier this evening," said the detective slowly. "The reason being blunt force trauma to the head. A block away, we found—" the detective paused for a moment, "—Koji Garyou, also unconscious, also because of blunt force trauma to the head. You said that Mr. Jakkaru was the one who attacked Mr. Garyou?"

"Yes," Yuki whispered. She twisted her hands together, feeling the paper in her palm. "How are Hisshino and Koji?"

"They're in stable condition," the detective said, "although Jakkaru is still unconscious. I'll let you see Garyou after we finish. Now…after Garyou was attacked, you claim that Mr. Jakkaru dragged you for a brief moment, demanding money from you. When you refused and screamed, he slapped you. Am I right?"

Yuki nodded slowly, one hand slowly touching the bruised cheek.

"You then, eh, kneed Mr. Jakkaru and ran, and ended up at the parking lot of a building belonging to Ichi Incorporated. He caught you, but before he could attack you…eh…"

"I heard another boy, a younger one, on rollerblades," Yuki finished. "I had assumed it was another Shonen Bat member at first, but he attacked Hisshino and saved me. I then used my cell phone to…call…an ambulance…" Yuki heard the detective sigh. A sign of disbelief.

"Miss Usagi," the detective said quietly, "that's a bit hard to believe."

"It happened!" Yuki insisted. "It was a young boy, about eleven to fourteen years in age, on rollerblades. He was wearing a full sleeved shirt, and he had a bat that was horribly bent. I'm not making this up!"

"Did I say that?" The detective said sardonically. "I'm just saying that it's hard to believe. But come on." The detective's voice became softer, almost coaxing. "Jakkaru is already being charged with robbery and assault for other victims. If you hurt him during your struggle, I'll just write it as self-defense. You didn't do anything wrong…"

Yuki's mouth dropped slightly. Was he assuming…that _she_ hit Jakkaru? How…how dare he! "Detective, I may be blind, but I am not stupid," she angrily, trying her hardest not to explode at the man. "And neither am I deaf. I know what I heard, and I know what happened. A boy on rollerblades hit Hisshino with a twisted baseball bat."

The detective sighed again, and Yuki clenched her hands into fists. "Very well, Miss Usagi," the man said. "Thank you for your cooperation." Yuki listened as his footsteps echoed off the marble floor, heading towards the door. Then he stopped and walked back.

"I almost forgot," he said. He pressed something long and slim into her hands. Her walking stick. "One of the other officers found this near the scene. Don't know why, but I think this belongs to you."

"Thank you," Yuki said flatly as she took the stick. The detective said nothing, and Yuki hoped he was going on his way, but his quiet breathing told her that he was still in the room, watching her. Finally he turned and left, shutting the door gently behind him. Yuki remained seated. Her grip tightened on her walking stick, and her lips thinned until they were barely visible. "I know what I heard!" she cried suddenly to the empty room.

Only the ticking of the nearby clock answered her.

----

Koji groaned as he slowly got off the bed. His head was pounding; he felt as if he had been hit by a truck. Or something just as heavy. Touching his bandaged temple, Koji looked around the white room. Where the hell was he?

"Ah, you're awake."

Koji spun around, an action he immediately regretted when his head started to throb. "Shit!" he swore, and laid back down. Using only his eyes, he looked up and saw a dark-haired man in a gray suit at the door, chuckling to himself.

"I always knew that hard head of yours would come in handy," the man said as he stepped into the room. "Knew it had to be good for something, other than getting you fired."

Koji's eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening in recognition. "Hotaka Arishima!"

The man smiled. "Glad to see you still remember my name," he said as he pulled up a chair that stood in the corner of the room. He sat down and stared at Koji. "I can't believe this. All these years go by, and you still shave your head."

"Call it habit," Koji said, groaning. He rubbed his temples. "Agh…My head…"

"Least you're conscious," Arishima said, smirking. "Jakkaru is still knocked out. Whoever whacked him must have whacked him good."

"Jakkaru? Oh shit!" Koji leapt out of bed, only to sink back when the pain in his head intensified. "Yuki! How is she? Is she alright?"

"Calm down! She's fine. She's three doors down. Want me to go get her?"

"No, it's alright." Koji said, and then breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"You know, I'm surprised that you're still taking care of her. What is she, seventeen?"

"Eighteen."

"Whatever. Isn't she old enough to take care of herself? You've been looking after her since she was this high." Arishima raised his hand until it was a few inches above his knee. "You're twenty-eight now. You have a life too. Don't waste it baby-sitting."

"Shut up, will you?" Koji snapped. "Yuki still needs me. What are you doing here, anyway? I know it's not for a social visit. You don't even visit the Lieutenant here."

Arishima sighed, and took out a pack of cigarettes. "I'd rather not talk about him, and I know you don't either," he said quietly, before smiling. "You know me too well, you know? I'm really here on business, i.e., your attack, and Jakkaru's. Can you tell me what you remember?" Arishima took out a cigarette and offered the pack to Koji, who pulled one out as well.

"What's there to say?" Koji asked, letting Arishima light his cigarette with his lighter. "I was walking with Yuki. We turn a corner, I hear rollerblades, and the next thing I know, I have a metal bat smashed halfway up my face."

"Can you remember who hit you?"

Koji took a long puff. When he exhaled, a large cloud of smoke emerged from his nostrils. "It's Jakkaru, Arishima," he said quietly. "He does this to me all the time, except this is the first time he's actually attacked me for real."

"Hmm." Arishima stared at the clock on the wall, his cigarette slowly burning as he held it between his fingers. "Well, that's two witnesses for me to write."

"What's wrong?" Koji asked as he took another puff.

"That part of the case is crystal clear, but the next part is a bit…murky," Arishima said slowly. "How credible would you say Yuki Usagi is?"

Koji frowned. "Very. Why?"

"Well, I thought that she might have attacked Jakkaru herself, as an act of self-defense."

"That's perfectly understandable."

"Yeah, but…that's not what happened, or so she claims. She said that another little boy came rollerblading up to her and smashed Jakkaru in the head, with a horribly bent bat. What do you think? It sounds like the Shonen Bat gang is turning each other, but I've never seen a group that was more…how shall I say this? Together. If they were going to whack one of their own members, I don't really think that they would do it in such a disorganized way."

Koji paused for a moment before speaking. "Yuki wouldn't make this up," he said slowly. "And I doubt she has the strength or the will to injure _anyone_, even a brat like Jakkaru."

"Let us not forget that she's blind, Garyou, and her claims—"

"Her hearing is very accurate," Koji snapped. "If you drop a pin in the middle of a semi-crowded room, she can tell you what type of _brand_ that pin was."

"Alright, alright!" Arishima said, putting his hands up. "I get it. I'll write the official report and report it to the Chief. Maybe he can send more men to get the Shonen Bats off of the streets."

"Good."

"Say, Garyou," Arishima asked suddenly, his voice turning sly. "Is there _another_ reason you're staying with Yuki Usagi? In what way does the girl _need_ you?"

Koji blinked for a moment. Then he froze, his eyes widening considerably, before his face twisted in fury. "You sick…get out!"

"What? I was just saying…"

"GET OUT!"

"What is going on here?" the nurse yelled, bursting into the room. Arishima quickly put out his cigarette and hid it in his jacket pocket, while Koji stuffed his still burning cigarette in his mouth, nearly screaming when it burned his tongue. "What was going on?" the nurse asked again, and both men managed to smile nervously.

"Nothing," Arishima said, while Koji grimaced, trying not to notice the taste of ashes and burnt taste buds in his mouth.

----

As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, a young girl in a pink nightgown slowly snuck out of her bedroom, with a small white box and a paper cup clutched in her hands. Looking both ways, she quietly tiptoed across the hall to the bathroom, where she locked the door with a faint _click_.

She immediately opened the box, and took out a small container filled with a clear liquid along with an eyedropper. Then, she stepped into the shower, pulled her skirt up, and stripped off her panties. Placing the cup directly under her, she urinated, and then wiped herself with a tissue.

She then opened the special container, and filled the eyedropper with urine. She squeezed several drops into the clear liquid, and waited as she listened to the ticking of the bathroom clock. For a minute, nothing happened. Then the liquid began to change color.

The girl watched, first with tired eyes, then with widening ones, as the liquid's color began to become more pronounced. When it stopped changing, the girl's body began to tremble violently, and her breath came out in short gasps. Then, with a sweep of her arm, she knocked everything to the floor, and the special container smashed against the tiles as urine seeped everywhere.

The blue liquid that had been in the container spread across the floor, mixing with the urine to create a ghastly green.

----

_No one knows about this yet…Dad and Leiko only know about the sex part, and they haven't told anyone. As long as no one else finds out anything about this, I'll be okay…_

"Migoto! Migoto!"

Migoto Taira snapped out of her thoughts and turned to see who was calling her. Her face fell when she saw an obese teenaged boy running towards her, but she forced herself to smile as he ran up to her, bending over and panting as he struggled to catch his breath.

"M-Migoto…g-good…morning," he panted, beads of sweat rolling off of his forehead. His bending was causing his uniform to strain, and from Migoto's point of view, his flesh looked like it was forcibly being strapped to his body. Migoto resisted the urge to cringe, and forced the smile to stay put.

"Good morning, Kazuki," she said in the most pleasant voice she could muster. "What's up?"

Kazuki Ushiyama looked up and smiled nervously at her, his hands locking together in nervousness. "I was just wondering," he mumbled, "if maybe…after school…if you're not busy…"

Migoto's eye twitched. _Not this again_, she thought. "Listen Kazuki," she said in a soft voice that she knew drove men wild. For good measure, she began twisting one of her brown locks with her finger. "You're a good…classmate. I'd _love_ to have a private study session with you. You know I do." She saw Kazuki's face break out into a happy grin. _Time to drop the bomb, _she thought viciously. "But you know that I'm still wary after Jakkaru…especially since that idiot got us caught by dad while we were…_kissing_."

"Oh…I understand." Kazuki's face fell, but he still managed to smile. "I don't really care about what he did, Migoto. I'll always be there for you when you need me."

"Yeah…sure. Nice to know." Migoto grinned, though her teeth were gritted. "Thanks, Kazuki." She watched him go on ahead to class, grinning and waving whenever he turned around to look at her. It was only when she was sure he was gone that her face twisted into a cruel, mocking look.

Her? Be with him? Hell would freeze over before she even considered _thinking_ of going out with him. She was Migoto Taira, third and youngest child of Yuichi Taira, the well-known president of Ichi Incorporated. She was the daughter of the cell phone king. She was an honor student, the captain of the cheerleading squad, and a member of JNHS, Japan's National Honor Society. She was the quintessence of cool, pretty, and popular. Every boy worshiped the ground she walked on, and every girl wanted to be her. She was a goddess, a legend, and all around good girl. Mostly.

Kazuki Ushiyama, on the other hand, was an obese, plain-looking student that was overlooked by almost everyone that mattered. His family earned a _modest_ living, for his father, Shogo Ushiyama, had a small, old-fashioned grocery store somewhere in the town. But it paled in comparison to how much _her_ father made. Sure, he was one of the smartest boys in school (in fact, he was second only to her). What did that matter? He was unattractive, horrible at sports, and was as interesting as a mud ball in the middle of April.

Yet since the first year of high school, no, since they started _junior_ high school, he seemed to have a crush on her. That revolting pig spawn actually thought that he was worthy enough for her, especially after the recent events. Not only was that insulting, but it made her despise him all the more.

She reached into her bag for her cell phone, to turn it off, but couldn't find it. _Huh…that's strange. Oh yeah. I lent it to Leiko._

She walked down the halls towards her classroom. As she passed by a group of boys, she gave them a small smile that usually made them swoon. But today, they laughed and leered at her instead. Leering? What the hell? Migoto swallowed nervously and increased her pace, hearing the boys jeer and whistle behind her back. Almost jogging, she nearly crashed into the door of her room, breathing heavily.

What was that about? Migoto shivered as she rubbed her arms. She could still feel their eyes on her, and although she usually liked being looked at, the way they stared made her feel...bad. Ugh. For some reason, her uniform skirt felt too short and her blouse felt too tight. _I should get a larger uniform…_

Steadying her breathing, she opened the door to the classroom. At once, the classroom chatter stopped, and all eyes fell on her. She paused. All of the boys were _leering_. And all of the girls were _sneering_ at her. What was going on?

"Leave it alone! Leave her desk alone!"

Migoto turned to see a group of girls hovering over her desk, with Kazuki Ushiyama trying furiously to pull them away. "Leave her desk alone!"

"What is going on?" Migoto yelled, and the girls scattered, snickering and casting strange looks in her direction as the passed. Kazuki remained, and was desperately rubbing his shirt, his own shirt, against the desk.

"Migoto," he whispered, trying to furiously rub his blackening shirt against the desk. "I tried to stop them, really. I tried—"

Migoto shoved him aside, and looked at her desk. A majority of the desk was now a large black smudge, thanks to Kazuki's wiping, but there was one word he had missed, all the way in the top right corner. Migoto had to bite her tongue to keep from shrieking as the clock struck nine, and the bell rang.

It said, "Slut".

----

"I didn't expect the famous writer, Yuki Usagi, to show up today. Please, have a seat."

Koji gently led Yuki to one of the two large, plushy red chairs that Yuichi Taira had pointed out, and helped her sit, making sure that her yellow dress stayed in place. Then he sat down as well, as Yuichi went behind his large desk to answer the ringing phone.

After her morning classes were over, Koji had received information from his contacts that Yuichi Taira had time that day. So despite her protests about his still bandaged head, he convinced her to go see the man, for crucial information for her book.

"Yes? Yes. Uh-huh. Okay, I'll be down in twenty." He hung up and turned to them with a small smile. "So, you say that you need my input for your new book?"

"Yes please," Yuki said, her fingers roaming over the velvet armrest. "I am currently writing a new book on something that has been a topic of large debate in the psychiatrist guild. Are you familiar with the name, Lil' Slugger?"

Again, Koji noticed that Yuichi Taira's body became very stiff, like Tsukiko Sagi's did. It took the C.E.O. a while before he smiled and answered her.

"Yes, I am quite familiar with the name. The little beast nearly ruined my reputation, at the time."

"His attack ruined your life?" Yuki asked.

"Oh no! His attack _saved_ me."

"Come again?" Koji asked, thoroughly confused.

"I was twelve-years-old at the time," Yuichi said, and Koji had to resist the urge to groan. He felt a long story coming on. "I was also very well-liked. I was good-looking, popular, and was the best candidate to become Student Council President."

"How nice," Koji mumbled sarcastically. _Especially for a guy that had three wives._

Yuichi didn't seem to catch the sarcasm, and smiled broadly. "Thank you. Anyway, I was all set…until someone began to spread the word that _I_ was Lil' Slugger."

Yuki sat straight up in her chair at this. "What? Why did they think that?"

"I matched the profile at the time. Eleven to twelve years old…wears a baseball cap and golden rollerblades…" Yuichi laughed. "I can't believe how ignorant everyone was. I had the perfect life. Why would I mess it up?"

"So…what happened when the rumors began to spread?" Yuki asked.

Koji saw that Yuichi's face turned very sour. "What do you think? My popularity went straight downhill. People started writing threatening messages on my desk, and left notes in my locker accusing me of being Lil' Slugger…I thought it might have been my rival, Shogo Ushiyama, but when he got attacked too, I ruled that out."

"Shogo Ushiyama," Yuki said thoughtfully. Then her face brightened. "I know him! He lives in my apartment, and runs that old-fashioned grocery store across from it. He's very helpful. He personally gets all of the things I ask for. I've never met someone as considerate as him, his wife or his two sons."

"Huh. I personally feel disappointed in him," Yuichi sneered. "He's wasting his life in that dime-a-dozen job. I have a feeling that his sons will end up the same way."

Koji frowned, and felt Yuki tense beside him. That statement was a bit much, as both he and Yuki liked the Ushiyamas, but Koji knew that to get any more information out of Yuchi, they would have to stroke his ego.

"What happened when you were attacked?" Koji asked, feeling that their twenty minutes were almost up.

"Well…I'm not really sure. When I was attacked…I was almost on the verge of madness." Yuichi's face turned red, as if he was ashamed to recall such an event. "The pressure of being accused finally got to me. I remember…running out to the street." Yuichi's eyes became somewhat dazed, but he continued. "I was delusional at the time, so I don't remember what happened…but I remember Lil' Slugger skating to me. He raised the bat, and was smiling…"

Yuichi faltered off. Koji saw that his face had become pale, and that his fists were so clenched that his knuckles were white. The clocked ticked quietly on his desk, oddly adding tension to the already thick atmosphere.

"So…there was a Lil' Slugger," Yuki said quietly.

Yuichi suddenly snapped his head up, looking at Yuki as if she was a ghost. "No," he said hurriedly, his voice tight and nerve wracked. "It was the result of the gas that leaked out during that time. I saw things that weren't there. Lil' Slugger never existed."

"But…you just said…"

"No," Yuichi said. He marched to the door and opened it, not staring at the two. "I have to get to a meeting," he said, his voice suddenly gruff. "Please leave."

----

Her red vest flapping, Migoto leaped down and used her arms to hit the volleyball back up into the air.

"Guys! Get it!" she yelled as she quickly backed away. As the ball began to fall down, she looked to her teammates to see who was going after it. No one was moving. All of the girls were giving her contemptuous looks, and continued to do so as the ball hit the ground and the whistle blew.

"White team wins!" the coach declared, and all of the girls without vests on top of their white gym shirts cheered. Migoto stood, crestfallen, and all of the red-vested girls began to walk back to the locker room, pushing past her roughly as she stood as still as a statue.

It had been like this all day. In every class, at every break, no one seemed to want to go near her. The boys kept catcalling and making rude remarks about how "fast" she was, and the girls…well, they treated her like she was the lowest of whores.

The only one who seemed to want to still talk to her was Kazuki Ushiyama. He was the only one who let her sit next to him at lunch, and was the only one willing to walk with her to all her classes. Because the girls kept pushing her out of the group ("Sorry," they said. "We don't let fast girls sit here," a particularly snooty girl huffed. "Might not have enough time to start an intelligent conversation."), and because the boys kept making sexual comments ("Hey baby! Wanna do me for a thousand yen? I swear I'm better than Jakkaru!") Migoto had no choice but to sit next to Kazuki at lunch, and she let him walk with her, but only because they shared the same classes anyway.

Kazuki, on his part, did not rub it in. He continued to chat with her as if nothing happened, but Migoto knew what he thought of her. Like all the other boys, he probably only wanted to befriend her long enough to screw her. That's all she was now, to everyone. A fuck doll.

There was no cheerleading practice today, so she decided to walk straight home. Her "friends" were too busy sneering at her to make her feel comfortable. Kazuki, who was also walking home, looked surprised at this; she normally hung out with the other popular girls when she had no practice.

"Do I look like I want to hang out with them today?" Migoto snapped angrily when he asked her why she was going home. She stomped angrily to her locker and opened the door to take out her textbooks when several notes fluttered down at her feet. Blinking, she bent down and picked one up, only to drop it a moment later as if it was hot iron.

_Slut! Go home!_

_We don't need whores like you as our idol!_

Open your legs for some other dog.

_  
Get out!_

_  
Get out! _

_Get out!_

Every note was like that. Migoto stood up, and backed away from the notes as if they were poison. Kazuki, glimpsing the horrible writings, quickly scooped them up in his thick arms and deposited them into the nearest garbage can.

The clock ticked quietly nearby.

----

"Migoto…don't listen to them."

Migoto didn't lift her eyes from the pavement as she walked slowly home. Kazuki offered to walk her home, even though his house was nowhere near hers. She hadn't said anything, and since she didn't reject him like she normally did, Kazuki took the chance to be with her.

"You made a mistake. It's alright. I heard that in America, these sorts of things happen more often."

Migoto stopped walking. She glared at Kazuki with all the anger she had pushed down that day, and yelled, "Are we in America? Are we in some country that doesn't give a damn about the happenings of teenagers? NO!"

Kazuki, who had stopped walking the minute Migoto did, stared at her in surprise and shock. "Migoto…"

"Why are you even hanging around me anyway? I'm completely unpopular now! No one wants to be around me! I'm unwanted!" Migoto's mind screamed at her to stop, but if she didn't let this out, she was going to go crazy.

"You're not unwanted!" Kazuki cried, rushing towards her to put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't you know how much I care?"

Migoto's eyes widened with shock. Then they narrowed with repulsion and anger as she furiously pushed his hands away. "Get away from me!" she shrieked, not caring that they were in the middle of a neighborhood. "Leave me alone! For all I know, you probably just want to fuck me like all the other boys!"

"That's not true!" Kazuki yelled, tears coming to his eyes. Migoto knew that he always cried when he argued, and that made her even angrier. Damn pig couldn't even put up a good fight!

"Leave me alone, damn you!"

"I won't!"

"Oh really?" Migoto sneered, all common sense leaving her. "Are you saying you'll accept me no matter what I've done? No matter how foul a person I've become?"

"M-migoto…"

"Are you saying that you'll love me even when I've lost my virginity to an idiot? Are you saying you'll love me when he GOT ME PREGNANT!"

Kazuki's jaw dropped at the last statement, and he fell silent. Migoto waited for his response. There was none. She smirked, knowing that she'd won, even though she felt slightly dejected when he didn't confirm his "undying love" for her.

_Undying my ass._

"I knew it," she hissed. She pushed past him and walked on, leaving him standing there, still stunned. After a moment she stopped, and turned back with a cruel smile. "You can go home now, Ushiyama. I have the feeling you don't want to be with me anymore."

Kazuki said nothing.

Migoto walked on, and checked her watch. Four-forty-four.

----

The clock said four-forty-four.

Arishima waited as Jakkaru stirred in his bed. The blond's eyelids fluttered, before he slowly opened them, and blinked to get the area in focus.

"Wakey-wakey sleepy head," Arishima said sarcastically as Jakkaru turned his unfocused gaze towards him.

"Where am I?" Jakkaru whispered.

"In police custody. Right now, you're looking at ten years in jail, kid. And that's the minimum sentence."

"What?" Jakkaru sat up, hissing as his hands flew to his head. "Ow…what the hell happened?"

Arishima raised a skeptical brow. "C'mon kid. Don't pretend to have amnesia or something. You whacked a bunch of people over the last two weeks, and that includes one Koji Garyou."

"Garyou? Oh crap. The money!" Jakkaru tried to leap out of bed, only to be shoved back by Arishima.

"You don't seem to understand," Arishima said quietly, "that you are under custody. You're stuck with us, kid, for the next ten years…if you have a nice judge. But if you cooperate, we can work out a nicer deal."

Jakkaru opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. "If I help," he said slowly, "then you guys are going to send me to places that are guarded, right? I mean, none of my old gang members can get in and kick the living crap out of me, right?"

Arishima paused for a moment, but only for a moment. "Depends on how good the info is, kid. But I'll work out something with my boss. Now, do you admit you've attacked and robbed several people the last couple of weeks, including your own father?"

Jakkaru was silent.

"Kid?"

"…Yeah."

"Does this include one Koji Garyou?"

"…Yeah."

"Did you attempt to rob Miss Yuki Usagi?"

"…Yeah."

"Did Miss Usagi hit you in self-defense when you tried to attack her?"

Jakkaru narrowed his eyes. "No." Arishima stared at the teen in shock.

"No?" the detective repeated.

"No. It wasn't her. It was…a younger boy." Jakkaru fidgeted, as if ashamed that a younger boy was able to beat him up so badly. Meanwhile, Arishima was stunned beyond belief. Yuki Usagi had been telling the truth…

"What did the child look like?" Arishima asked, still mind-boggled.

"Er…well, younger than me. Around the sixth grade, maybe?"

"A-an elementary school kid?"

"He had a baseball cap, and a bent golden baseball bat. Oh, I think he was wearing rollerblades…but I didn't see their color. Don't look so surprised," Jakkaru said to the detective. "There are even younger boys than that in the Shonen Bat gang."

"Do you recognize him as a Shonen Bat member?"

"I didn't see his face," Jakkaru admitted. He reached up and felt his head, wincing as he did so. "But he had one hell of an arm. I didn't think a little kid could swing like that."

"Do you think your group sent him to eliminate you?"

"Maybe." Jakkaru shrugged. "I don't know."

"Can you…give us the location of the Shonen Bat hideout?" Arishima asked. "We can arrest them in one shot and you can pick out your attacker."

"Try it, but there's more than one hideout. Those kids aren't that stupid, you know."

"You were stupid enough to get caught."

"Feh. So…I'm getting protection, right?"

"Uh-huh. Sure." Arishima stood up and left, his mind still spinning. He went to the parking lot and passed two men, the younger-looking one in a wheelchair, drooling and watching the older-looking one as he knelt on the ground, drawing the same figures from yesterday, with a few differences.

The jackal lay dead on the side, and the fox had the fish in his mouth.

"Pretty," the man in the wheelchair said.

----

Shogo Ushiyama, known well as Ushi, fingered the sketch of Lil' Slugger, his face hard and unreadable as he stared at the crude drawing.

"So...you don't remember anything of your attack?" Yuki asked.

Ushi stared at the picture for a few more seconds before shaking his head. "No," he said quietly. "I can't remember anything about it. I was in the hospital for a while after my attack, but…that was it."

Yuki sighed. "Oh well. What about Maromi? The picture on the back?"

"It was quite popular back then. Everywhere you went, it was Maromi, Maromi, Maromi. They…eh…discontinued the products for some reason, but I can't quite remember now…"

"Too bad. Thanks anyway."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Ushi asked, his face softening once again. "I always enjoy the times when you come along."

"Mr. Ushiyama!" Yuki laughed. "Well…how about some milk…and a box of eggs? I only counted five today, and I know that Koji's going to eat them all…"

"Miss Usagi!" Koji yelped.

"Just kidding."

"Milk and eggs it is!" Ushi said, chuckling, as he went to look for them himself. He went past a middle aged man, who was coming up to the counter with a basket full of groceries.

"Miss Usagi must be here," the man said in a gruff voice, and Yuki smiled.

"Hello, Mr. Wamu," she greeted. "How are you?"

"Fine. I'd be better if the cost of medicine didn't keep rising…"

The door suddenly jingled, due to the bell Ushi insisted on putting, and a very dejected looking Kazuki walked in, his face drawn and tearstained.

"H-hello," he sniffed. "Mr. Wamu, I-I'll help you with those."

"What happened, kid?" Koji asked, brow raised at the sniveling boy before him. "You look like the world just ended for you."

Kazuki sniffed twice more as he bagged Mr. Wamu's groceries and rang up the bill. "I don't understand," he whimpered. "How come Migoto doesn't like me?"

"Okay, don't need to hear this." Mr. Wamu paid, took the bags, and left. Yuki frowned at the man's insensitivity, but turned to Kazuki with a smile.

"Who's Migoto?" she asked.

"Migoto Taira. She's a girl I liked since…I can't remember."

"Migoto Taira…" Yuki said thoughtfully. Then her eyes widened. "Migoto Taira? Jakkaru's old girlfriend?"

"Yes. You know her?"

"No, I knew Jakkaru. Or I thought I did," she said, gently touching Koji's hand. "You like her?"

"I'm in love with her," Kazuki admitted, turning red. "But she told me that I shouldn't, because she got pregnant."

"What?" Yuki cried, startled.

Kazuki gasped and turned to Koji and Yuki with wide eyes. "Please don't tell anyone! Migoto will hate me for life if she knew I told!"

"W-we won't tell," Yuki said, stammering. "But…she's _pregnant_?"

Kazuki nodded. "And things are already hard on her as it is. Word got out that she had sex with Jakkaru. If people found out about this, she'll die. Please don't tell…please?"

Yuki and Koji paused for a moment. Then Yuki smiled. "Of course, Kazuki. We won't tell a soul. C'mon, Koji. It's almost six o'clock."

----

She stepped outside first, as Koji stayed in the store to pay for their groceries. She inhaled the night air and sighed, reaching into her pocket to touch the sketch as her mind wandered.

_Lil' Slugger…why is it so hard?_

Suddenly she heard the sound of rollerblades behind her, and felt something brush against her back. Dropping her walking stick, she turned and reached out with her hand to feel what it was.

She grasped onto empty air.

"Miss Usagi?" Koji's voice rang behind her, and she lowered her outstretched hand. She couldn't hear any rollerblades, not even the sounds of one far away.

It was probably just her imagination.

----

In a video camera, the images of Migoto Taira and Kazuki Ushiyama glowed in the darkness. The voices were faint, but one could hear them clearly.

_"Are you saying you'll love me when he GOT ME PREGNANT!"_

A figure in the darkness grinned. This was going to push Little Miss Perfect straight over the edge. Same for her father, too.

----

Yuichi Taira burst into his daughter's room, startling her as she looked up from her homework.

"What's wrong, dad?" she asked, shocked by the look of absolute fury on his face. Yuichi said nothing; he marched over to her stereo and knocked the whole thing down, smashing the expensive machinery against the floor. Migoto shrieked.

"Dad! What are you doing?" She tried to pull her father away from her possessions, but he knocked her back and grabbed her computer, lifting it over his head and throwing it against the wall.

"My report was on there!" Migoto screamed. Three weeks of hard work down the drain! And it was due tomorrow!

Her father continued to smash every bit of technology she had in the room, from her CD player, to her IPod, to her beeper…

What was he doing? Was he trying to destroy the only things that could give her comfort? She needed those things! Those were the only things that she could depend on for entertainment! Those were her only escape mechanisms!

"DAD, STOP!" Migoto screamed, and then shrieked; her father slammed her against the wall so quickly that all the air was knocked out of her. She looked up in horror; her father's face was inches away from hers, and he had a mad look in his eye.

"Are you trying to ruin me?" he hissed.

"D-dad…"

"Do you know who called me? Your principal. How the fuck did he find out you had sex?"

Migoto froze. "I don't know…"

"Are you proud of it? Do you open your damn legs for other boys, too? HUH?" He shook her roughly at the last statement, and Migoto's vision began to blur with tears.

"NO! Dad, you're scaring me!"

"I had to pay the bastard a million yen to keep you in school!" Yuichi roared. "Do you know how much this will damage my reputation! HUH?"

"STOP IT!"

Yuichi threw his daughter to the ground in disgust. He stared at her, breathing heavily as she whimpered and sobbed on the ground. Then he left, slamming the door behind him, leaving his child in the darkness.

The clock, which somehow managed to escape Yuichi's wrath, ticked slowly in the night.

----

Tick. Tock.

"You call this a report?"

The brunette turned with weary eyes to the furious teacher in front of her. She had spent a good deal of the night rewriting her report by hand. But since she had returned all of her source material to the library, she had nothing to go on, and had to write the paper by memory.

Obviously her memory wasn't as sharp as she thought it was.

"I'm sorry," she croaked amongst the whisperings and giggles. The teacher threw the paper in her face, giving Migoto a look of deep disgust.

"I am shocked, Miss Taira. You are usually a model student."

"And a model slut," a boy whispered. The whole class laughed, except for Kazuki, who was staring at her with forlorn.

"Enough!" the teacher yelled. "Migoto, take your seat."

She slowly nodded and walked back slowly to her desk. On the way, she could hear the whisperings, the leers, the cruel looks…

_Bitch._

She could feel the hot tears threatening to spill. Damn them. Like they were any better.

_If you fuck me, I'll give you a dollar.  
_

Damn them.

_Slut._

Damn them.

_Whore!_

DAMN THEM ALL!

The bell rang.

Assembly time.

----

"Students, due to recent events, I have found the need for this assembly to promote _abstinence_."

Several students turned their heads to Migoto, who was now on the verge of tears. A few girls giggled.

"We'll start with a movie," the principal said. "Start it!"

The lights dimmed, and the film projector flickered for a moment as the large white screen lowered from the ceiling. Then, an image came on, but it was nothing on the movie based on abstinence. It wasn't what the principal had in mind, anyway.

"_Leave me alone! For all I know, you probably just want to fuck me like all the other boys!"_

"_That's not true!"_

Migoto's eyes widened. Oh no…

"_Leave me alone, damn you!"_

"_I won't!"_

Who did this? Migoto's eyes searched about the room frantically. Everyone seemed to be laughing at her, leering…

"_Oh really? Are you saying you'll accept me no matter what I've done? No matter how foul a person I've become?"_

"_M-migoto…"_

"STOP IT!" Migoto screamed, leaping out of her seat and running in front of the white screen. Her body became illuminated by the film projector. "STOP THE FILM! TURN IT OFF!"

"_Are you saying that you'll love me even when I've lost my virginity to an idiot? Are you saying you'll love me when he GOT ME PREGNANT!"_

The whole auditorium gasped. Then, to Migoto's horror, they began to laugh.

_Hey mom! How's idiot jr.?_

_  
You're an even bigger whore than I thought you were!_

_  
Just how many times did you fuck Jakkaru?_

The tears were stinging her eyes. The audience was guffawing so hard that her ears were aching from the noise. Turning on her heel, she ran for all she was worth out of the auditorium, out of the school.

Tick. Tock.

----

She ran until she reached her house. There were several bags filled with garbage, most of its contents coming from her room. Trembling, she went to the front door, only to find her half-sister Leiko waiting for her there.

"Hey, sis," Leiko purred. "I wouldn't come within a hundred miles of here for a few days. When Dad gets home, he is going to _kill_ you. And according to my watch—" Leiko stared at her wrist "—he should be here in fourteen minutes."

"Wha…"

"Your school called," Leiko explained, "and they called dad, too. Get out of here, baby sister. Wouldn't want dad to smash your pretty face into the sidewalk."

Migoto stood there for a moment, stunned. When her sister's face showed no signs of pity, she knew that she would die if she stayed here. She turned to the other direction and ran, tears that she wouldn't let out blurring her vision. She didn't run very far when she ran into something large and heavy. Blinking and wiping her eyes, she realized it was Kazuki.

----

"Are you sure you don't want to calm down first? Well you don't have to use such language, Ichi."

Migoto sat behind the counter of the Ushiyama grocery store, with Kazuki next to her, holding her hand. In the meantime, Shogo Ushiyama made a call to her father. If she could still call him her father.

"Come one, she's your daughter. What do you mean, you can always have more? You don't know what you're saying…oh fine. When you regain your senses, you know where to find her."

Ushi hung up the phone with a sigh. Kazuki looked at his father in worry. "What's he going to do?" he asked.

"Nothing. He said he disowned her." Ushi frowned. "I can't believe him. I thought he always knew when to draw the line."

"Nothing we can do about it now, dear," Aiko Ushiyama said as she came into the store. In her arms was a fresh set of clothes, which she gave to Migoto with a smile. "I'm sorry, dear. They might seem a big large, since I'm, eh, full figured."

Migoto held the clothes against her body. They were _more_ than a bit large… "They're wonderful," she lied. "Thank you."

Aiko smiled again. "I'm glad you like it." She checked the clock on the wall before turning to Ushi. "Well, dear, Kenta is coming to take the second shift. Come upstairs to dinner when he gets here."

"Okay." Ushi said as he disappeared into the backroom.

"I hope you like raumen," Kazuki said, ushering Migoto out. "It's mom's specialty."

Migoto hand gripped at the oversized clothing as she bit her lip.

_So this is the life I have to adjust to. At least things can't get worse._

----

Things got worse.

First off, she hated the raumen. She always disliked noodles, but she forced herself to swallow the vile strings, just to make the Ushiyamas happy.

When she went to school the next day, she was met at the gate by the principal. They wouldn't allow her back into the school. It got so bad that Kazuki called his entire family down there, saying that they would support her in her education. Ushi and the principal went away for some privacy, and when they returned, Ushi looked pale, but said that Migoto was allowed to stay.

Migoto knew he had bribed the principal. Now she was indebted to Kazuki and his family. This had to be the most humiliating moment in her life.

She privately thought that it would have been better if the principal had kicked her out. Everywhere, the other students were whispering and staring at her. It was even worse now that everyone knew she was pregnant. The notes on her locker were increasing, most of them addressed to "The Teen Mom" or "The Super Slut" or something equally derogatory. People shoved past her, some even knocked her down. Even the teachers, who once adored her, were now giving her strange looks, and some even ignored her when she raised her hand, even when she was the only who did.

The Japanese National Honor Society members wouldn't speak to her. Her grades fell, and her name was taken off the honor roll. Everyone except Kazuki avoided her like the plague. Even the cheerleading squad kicked her out.

After school, when she had gone to practice, she had suggested as captain that they make a pyramid.

"No," a blonde called Keiko said. "I only listen to the captain."

"But I'm the captain," Migoto said, annoyed.

"Not anymore," said Amaya, a girl with chestnut hair. "We voted you out. We can't have a pregnant mommy on the top. You might fall and hurt the little baby."

"That's it!" Migoto screamed, startling the other girls. "I've had it! Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean that I'm garbage! You all use to worship the ground I spit on! Nothing's changed!"

"At least we still have our virginity," Amaya sneered. "That makes us much better than you, teen mom."

The worst part was after school, when she and Kazuki (they walked together now, since she was staying at his house) were ambushed by three boys that once used to admire her.

"Hey Migoto," one of the boys aid huskily. "I've been thinking about you a lot, lately. Wanna come warm my bed?"

"Piss off," she snarled, and tried to walk around them, but the boy grabbed her by the arm roughly.

"I don't like your tone, slut," he whispered, one hand trailing up her thigh. "I thought whores liked to warm the beds of men."

"Leave her alone!" Kazuki yelled, and tried to tackle the boy, but his two friends grabbed him and dragged him off to the side, and commenced into beating the poor boy into a pulp.

"Kazuki!" Migoto yelled, and tried to break free from the boy's grasp, but he began to drag her to a more isolated area, away from Kazuki. She saw a broken chair and bags of garbage; they were heading for an alley.

"LET GO!" Migoto screamed. "LET GO!" She twisted harder, and felt the cloth tear away from her shoulder as she tried to twist away, taking with it every ounce of her hope and confidence.

"Eager, aren't you?" the boy asked. Migoto closed her eyes and screamed as she saw his lips descending to her face.

Suddenly his body was rammed against hers, and Migoto opened her eyes to see the boy's face full of shock. His body slid off of hers, and she turned her head to see Kazuki, his shirt ripped, his lip bleeding, and one of his eyes black and swollen. He was breathing heavily, and Migoto saw that in one hand he was holding the remains of the broken chair.

"Let's go," he whispered.

The watch said four-forty-four.

----

"Are you alright?" Aiko Ushiyama asked when the two returned. She immediately sent them up the apartment and gave them a bath (separately) and some clean sets of clothes. Migoto had to keep pulling her pants up until Aiko gave her a belt, but there was nothing she could do about the shirt. One end kept sliding off her shoulders, making her look like…a whore.

"I should report this to the police," Aiko said fiercely as she placed a slab of meat on Kazuki's eye. "I can't believe those boys! Don't listen to what they're saying, dear. They're just hooligans."

Migoto said nothing. She simply got up and walked towards the door.

"Migoto?" Kazuki asked. "Where are you going?"

Migoto didn't answer. She just put on her shoes and left the apartment, heading towards the elevator where a blind woman and a tough looking bald man stood, waiting.

"I hope that Ushi still has those strawberry tarts," the blind woman said to the bald man. "I don't know why, but I feel the need to eat something sweet."

"Are you pregnant?" Migoto asked suddenly. She gasped and pressed her lips together when she realized what she blurted out.

"Pregnant?" the blind woman repeated, then laughed. "Oh my! Have I been gaining weight, Koji?"

The bald man snorted. "No, but you eat enough to seem like you are." The blind woman frowned, and the bald man chuckled as he turned to Migoto with a raised brow. "Why ask that, kid?"

Migoto lowered her head. "N-no reason."

The blind woman looked pensive for a moment, then she gasped. "Are you the girl that I've been hearing about? Migoto Taira?"

"H-how did you know?"

"I guessed," the blind woman said, smiling gently. "You're living with the Ushiyama family, right?"

Migoto said nothing.

"Come with us. You should try some strawberry tarts. They'll make you feel better. Your voice is all tense and winded."

Migoto said nothing, but she followed the two out to Mr. Ushiyama's store anyway. In a matter of moments, she was in front of the door, but she paused when she heard two voices.

"She was almost raped?"

That was her father.

"My boy saved her, and it doesn't seem like any damage was done."

That was Mr. Ushiyama.

"What's going on?" the blind woman asked. "Why'd we stop?"

"There are people shouting in there, Miss Usagi," the bald man said. "Maybe we should go…"

"Damn it…how much of a whore has that bitch become?"

No. Her own father...

"Stop it, Ichi! That's no way to talk about your daughter."

"She's not my daughter. She's probably a bastard."

Her own father…

"Just like her mother…a whore, sniffing after men…"

He thought she was…

"Little worthless—"

No...No…tears that she held back for days were coming…she could feel it…

Something broke in her mind. She turned on her heel and walked past the blind woman and the bald man, almost in a robotic fashion.

"Migoto?" the blind woman said, reaching for her with an outstretched hand. "Where are you going?"

She didn't hear the woman. To her, the woman and the man were laughing. Laughing like those students at school. She looked back, and to her horror, their faces and bodies morphed into the bodies of two students from school.

"Hey, teen mom!' the girl said cruelly. The boy laughed at her, and began to make several rude gestures at her.

Screaming, her pace increased into a run, and she was sprinting through the street, running, her oversized shirt slipping over her shoulder.

There were voices in her head, repeating the same words over and over again.

_Slut! _

_Whore! _

_Teen mom!_

The people she passed were all students from school! They were all laughing like the students from school! Everyone knew! EVERYONE KNEW!

"I'M NOT A WHORE!" she screamed as she ran past laughing cheerleaders. "I MADE A MISTAKE! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! AGGGH!" She tripped over a broken beer bottle, and fell face front on the pavement, scraping her forehead. Groaning, she stood up, and felt her forehead. Bits of flesh were hanging from her head, and blood was now trickling down her face.

The injury was too much. She curled into a ball right in the middle of the street and began to wail uncontrollably. She touched her stomach and sobbed. "I wish I never had you, she whispered. "I wish I never had you! _I wish you were dead!_" She was so drawn into self pity that she failed to notice the sounds of rollerblades approaching. She sobbed as she got to her knees, clutching her stomach. "I WISH I NEVER HAD YOU!" she shrieked, screaming into the night.

A sound of scraping quickly caught her attention. She turned her head to the side, and caught a glimpse of boy in a baseball cap and golden rollerblades, grinning broadly as he swung a metal bat down on her head.

Tick. Tock.

----

"How is she?" Kazuki asked worriedly. "Is she going to be alright?"

Arishima sighed as he sat down. He stared at Kazuki's nerve-wracked face and said quietly, "She fell on a beer bottle when she got hit. The glass pierced her stomach. She lost the baby."

Silence fell between the two.

The clock ticked quietly on the wall.

Tick. Tock.

**This is obviously more mature than last chapter…but you all know that PA is a mature show, right? Anyway, I'm thinking of posting up "Prophetic Visions" of the next chapter. (Prophetic Visions were at the end of each episode in the DVDs.) What do you think? If I have any readers left after this disturbing chapter, please give me a response.**

**Read and review…**


	3. The Tablet

Disclaimer: I don't own PA. Remind me again and I'll send Lil' Slugger after you.

A/N: Okay…this chapter took forever to write. This character isn't as deep as the last one in my opinion…but read anyway. I deviated a bit from the series…but pay close attention to the scenes. That's my only warning. Sadly, I am _not_ Satoshi Kon, so I can't make my story a masterpiece like he did. But I tried.

_Kagome, Kagome_, is a popular children's song that Ikari sang in the Japanese version of episode five. (I personally liked the English version, "All around the mulberry bush, my partner chases a loony…") I added a few words to the last sentence of the song, but it's nothing noticable. Don't sue me…

Say, for any reviewers, please comment on the characters. They are all important, and I would really like your opinions on how I wrote them. I'm trying to get in-depth, like the show did.

Thanks much to all previous reviewers. I hope I can still please you all.

**_Chapter three: The Tablet_**

_Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…_

Waiting in front of the white counter, the man's grip tightened on his umbrella as he waited for the woman to finish. On the radio, the children's song, "Kagome, Kagome" was playing as the rain began to fall gently outside.

…_when will you come out?_

"All right, Mr. Wamu. I'm done." The blond woman emerged from behind the counter with a small white bag. Setting the bag on the counter, she began to take out several colored bottles, all labeled with small slips of white paper.

_In the evening of the dawn, the crane and turtle slipped._

"This is for your heart, sir," the woman said, holding up a green bottle. "And the blue bottle is for your diabetes. Be sure to read the instructions carefully. You don't want to make a mistake…"

_Tell us please, who stands behind you now?_

"Do you need a refill for your…condition?" the woman asked. "You know how important it is not to miss a dosage for _that_. And your medication's been getting stronger lately…"

"Don't worry, Usagiuma," Wamu said, cutting her off. "I have a few pills left. And drop the professional act, huh? You know I'm always on schedule. You don't have to worry about me." He ran a hand through his dark brown hair and smiled.

Usagiuma frowned. "I can't help but worry," she muttered. "I'm afraid for you Ken. Out of all the customers I have, you are the one who requires the most…help. And at your age…"

Wamu chuckled. "Hey," he said, brandishing a small plastic card. "As long as I have this little thing called insurance, you just go on stuffing me with pills, okay? Gets the job done quicker and more efficiently than therapy, anyway."

_Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…_

The woman snorted. "That thing's good," she said, pointing at the card, "as long as you keep your job. It's part of their benefit program, isn't it?"

"Ha."

"Say hi to Jan-bi and Dan-bi for me. Oh, and say hi to that Korean wife of yours, too."

"Will do. Ta."

_Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…_

----

"There is a drop in economic activities. Companies and stores may be forced to reduce their benefit programs. Others may be forced to downsize in the future, and some branches may have to be shut down entirely…"

Lifting the spoonful of hot oatmeal to her lips, Yuki blew on the porridge and took a dainty bite. The sitting room was silent, except for the noise of the television in front of her.

"In other news, our top story this morning involves the third daughter of C.E.O. Yuichi Taira, who was brutally attacked late last night by what she claims to be a young boy, around the sixth grade, on golden rollerblades and a bent golden bat…"

Yuki dropped her spoon back into her oatmeal and listened intensely. Next to her, Koji sighed and increased the volume of the television set. He took the half-eaten bowl of oatmeal off of Yuki's lap, crossing quickly to the kitchen to dump the bowl into the sink.

"Nothing appeared to be stolen from the girl, but the police suspect that a member of the juvenile gang, the Shonen Bats, may be responsible for her attack. The case is apparently linked to an attack on Hisshino Jakkaru, a Shonen Bat member currently in police custody. Police say that the gang may be headed towards more violent streaks, and they are currently doing their best to apprehend the Shonen Bats…"

The television clicked off. Yuki dropped the remote on the sofa and turned to Koji with her unseeing, bright blue eyes. "Koji," she said quietly, "haven't you noticed something?"

"What?" Koji muttered.

"The description…it's like the real—"

"Don't kid yourself," Koji said briskly, cutting her off. "It's probably a coincidence."

"You're probably right. But do you think..." Yuki twisted her hands nervously in her lap. "Do you think…it's that boy? The one who saved me."

Koji said nothing.

"I don't know…I just have this feeling it's him. What do you think?"

Still no response.

"Koji?"

"Come on, Miss Usagi," Koji said, his voice strained. "You'll be late."

----

Wamu smiled as he held up the pink dress. "This is the latest design made by Hitomi Usagi. It's made with the finest polyester cotton, and is perfect for those fine nights out. A lovely woman like you would _shine_ in a dress like this."

The woman in front of him frowned. "I don't know," she said. "I saw a dress that was just as pretty at another store, and it cost less. Can't I get some sort of discount, or something?"

Wamu's smile wavered for a moment, but he forced himself to plaster it on. "The quality of the clothing is much higher here than any other store, ma'am. Every item here is carefully made, under the supervision of Hitomi herself. It's a simple matter of quality over quantity."

The woman fidgeted. "Well…"

"Have I mentioned," Wamu said quickly, "that the dress really brings out the color of your eyes? I don't think I've ever seen a prettier woman in such a fine piece of clothing…" Wamu winked at the woman, making her blush and giggle.

"Oh, very well."

Wamu took the woman to the register and rang up the sale. "Pleasure doing business with you, ma'am," he said, still plastering the smile. "And thank you for visiting Gear's clothing department."

He smiled and waved as the woman left the store. As soon as she was out sight, Wamu dropped the smile and snickered. "Sucker," he said under his breath. Nearby, a younger man, a co-worker, frowned as he carried a box full of tee-shirts.

"You really should stop overpricing them like that," the younger man said. "You've already had three returns in the last two weeks."

Wamu snorted. "Like I give a fuck. I'm doing what the boss is paying me to do. Is that so wrong?" Wamu's watch suddenly began to beep loudly. "Uh-oh. I gotta go to the bathroom for a minute."

"Go on, chug your damn pills!" the younger man said loudly as he lowered the box to the ground and arranged the clothes on the racks. "See if I care!"

Wamu snorted again as he walked to the men's room and stopped in front of the sink. Once there the smile immediately vanished from his face. He took out a red bottle, and hurriedly unscrewed the cap, taking out two large, powdery white tablets. He stared at them for a moment, before popping them all into his mouth at once. He swallowed, grimaced, and washed his mouth out with water from the faucet.

The nervous tension building up inside him slowly faded, and his thoughts, hazy and unfocused before, was now clear. He could once again breathe easily, thanks to two little pills.

_Oh well_, he thought as he spat out the tap water. _I get to keep my sanity for another day_. He wiped his mouth and picked up the red bottle, slipping it into his pants pocket before leaving the bathroom, whistling.

----

Koji felt Yuki clutch his arm, her grip tighter than usual as they passed the adult wards. Yuki never liked passing through here, but they had to pass in order to get the elevators that led to the children's ward.

Damn architects who made the building.

As they passed by the lobby, Koji caught sight of Kazuki Ushiyama. The boy looked _horrible_. His shirt was untucked, his face was unwashed, his eyes were hooded and his hair was disheveled. He looked as if he hadn't slept all night.

Koji didn't want to speak to the boy, partially because he didn't want to get involved with something that could get Yuki all excitable, and partially because Kazuki had to be the most _miserable_ looking thing on the planet at this moment. Koji stayed close to the wall. Maybe if he didn't see them, they wouldn't have to stop…

"M-miss Usagi!"

_Damn it._

Yuki turned towards the direction of the wail. "Was that Kazuki?" she asked as the boy ran up to her and threw himself into her arms. That was not the best idea the boy had ever had; he weighed as much, if not more, than Koji did. Yuki nearly collapsed under his weight, and had Koji not been there to hold her from behind, she would have been crushed on the floor.

"H-hello, Kazuki," Yuki gasped as she struggled to hold the sobbing boy. "What are you doing here? It's Saturday. Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I-I can't go to school now!" Kazuki sobbed. "M-migoto is injured!"

"That's what the doctors are for," Koji said in a mocking, patronizing tone. "And if you haven't been watching the news lately, Yuichi Taira had un-disowned Migoto, so you can just—"

"I can't just leave!" Kazuki screamed, attracting the attention of passerby. Yuki pinched Koji hard on the arm and, ignoring Koji's grunt of pain, gave Kazuki a small smile.

_Damn it, Yuki, _Koji thought._ That hurt._

"It's good that you're staying by her side," Yuki said gently, pushing the boy back on his own feet as Koji fumed. "Others should take a page out of your book. Migoto is lucky to have you."

"I-I just can't believe it," Kazuki said, his eyes tearing up again. "Why would anyone do such a terrible thing? She lost the baby because of that…that…"

Yuki tensed. "Kazuki, I'm so sorry," she said finally, touching Kazuki's arm. Koji said nothing.

"I guess it isn't so bad," Kazuki said quietly, looking at the floor. "Migoto isn't sad about it at all. In fact, when I went to see her, she looked kind of _relieved_."

The bomb had been dropped. "Excuse me?" Koji asked, not sure if he had heard correctly. "Did you say she was..._relieved_?"

"What do you mean, Kazuki?" Yuki asked.

"She keeps saying that now she's not a…whore anymore. Now, she's a victim, because she got attacked, and lost the baby because of it."

Koji blinked, and then turned to Yuki, shocked. "She's relived about being conked on the head, and losing a baby? Is she insane, or what?"

"She is not insane!" Kazuki yelled, and Yuki glared at her caretaker.

"Koji, please!" She turned to Kazuki. "I'm sorry Kazuki…if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

Kazuki sniffed in response.

_Crybaby_, Koji thought.

"Will you walk me to the children's ward, Kazuki?"

Both Kazuki and Koji looked at Yuki in surprise. "Uh…sure," Kazuki said, looking at Koji nervously. "But…what about Mr. Garyou?"

The edges of Yuki's lips twitched. "_Mr. Garyou_ needs some alone time. He needs to learn how to behave, and how to respect others. Please escort me to the children's ward, Kazuki."

Koji's jaw dropped. "M-miss Usagi! I…"

"Kazuki?" Yuki interrupted, coldly ignoring her caretaker. "If you please?"

"Uh…sure." Kazuki took her arm and led her to the elevators, looking back apologetically at Koji before the elevator doors opened and closed. Koji stared after them, too stunned to even move.

_Did…did she just shrug me off? Did Yuki just shrug me off!_

A single round of applause behind him snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned to see Arishima, his black hair uncharacteristically untidy, his jacket off and tied around his waist. His eyes were tired, something that contrasted the smirk that lined his face.

"Way to handle the cute blind chick," he said as he continued to clap. "You really showed her who's in _charge_."

"What the hell do you want?" Koji snapped. Yuki's rejection hurt him more than he wanted to admit. "I already told you all that I know."

"Can't I say hello to an old friend?" Arishima asked, his voice full of hurt. Koji didn't buy it.

"You never say hello unless you want something," Koji snarled. "Cut to the chase. I'm very pissed off right now."

Arishima's smirk widened. "I can see that. I just wanted to talk."

"So talk."

"Garyou," Arishima began, then stopped. "Koji," he said, in a graver tone. "We need you on this case, man. _I_ need you on this case."

----

"You can't do this! This isn't right! Eh, sir."

Wamu came back with a bag of donuts in one hand, and two coffees in the other. Looking up, he saw his younger co-worker trailing after a man in a black suit, who was headed his way. Wamu took a closer look at the man and gasped; it was his boss. He bowed just as the man passed, holding his arms up irregularly so that the coffee and donuts wouldn't spill out.

"Hello, Mr. Akogi, sir," Wamu groveled, his eyes on the man's shiny black shoes. "What brings you down here?"

"Bad business," Akogi sneered, and then walked away. "Your co-worker there will inform you of the recent changes around here."

"Recent…changes?" Wamu looked up, but Akogi was already on his way. He watched the man's retreating back as his co-worker reached him, glaring at their employer.

"That bastard," the younger man snarled. "That fucking son-of-a-bitch!"

"What?" Wamu asked, startled. "What did the son-of-a-bitch do?"

The younger man's hands clenched. "He's going to take away our benefits," he growled through gritted teeth. "He's going to take our health insurance, our medical plans, everything!"

Wamu froze, not sure if he heard the man correctly.

"Wamu, I'm only nineteen. I have a girlfriend and a kid. They need my health coverage! What'll I do?"

_He's going to take our health insurance…_

"Wamu?"

Wamu didn't answer. In his own mind, time had stopped, and he only heard seven words, repeating themselves over and over again…

_He's going to take our health insurance… He's going to take our health insurance…_

"Wamu?" The younger co-worker shook him, trying to get a response. "Wamu? What should I do? Wamu, answer me!"

Wamu said nothing. He didn't even hear the boy.

The bag of donuts fell to the floor, and the coffees slipped from his hands, crashing onto the ground and seeping all over the cold ground.

----

"Hello, Miss Usagi!"

Yuki smiled as she heard the twins chirp her name simultaneously. She reached out and touched one of their curly heads "Hello Jan-bi, hello Dan-bi. How are you two today?"

"Fine," one of them said. "It was kinda boring until you came along."

"But we found ways to occupy ourselves," the other one said, "and we made this for you!"

Yuki felt them press something small, soft, and velvety into her hands. Puzzled, she squeezed it; it was a plush doll. "Thank you for the gift. But…what is it?"

"It's that cute puppy picture you had a while back," one of the twins said happily. "It was soooo cute! So we decided to try to make it into a doll! Isn't it nice?"

Yuki ran her hands over the doll, carefully observing every detail. It had been crudely made. The head was big, and was mushroom-shaped, probably like the original, but one ear was shorter than the other. The eyes seemed to be made of two buttons. Her fingers roved; the arms and legs were short, and were stitched on surprisingly well, despite the fact that she could feel the stitching. For some odd reason, the legs of the plush dog felt crippled.

…_bent like a dog's leg…_

Yuki shook her head. Where did that come from?

"Miss Usagi? What do you think?"

Yuki turned her head in the direction of the voices and smiled. "I love it," she said softly. "I can tell you two put a good bit of work into this."

"Thank you!" the twins said simultaneously. "Say, Miss Usagi…we heard you were writing another book. What's it about?"

"Oh, you two wouldn't be interested."

"Tell us!" the children begged. "We already know about your book, _Crimes of Passion: Never an Excuse_. The nurses wouldn't stop talking about it for a month."

Yuki frowned. "_That_ book shouldn't be discussed around children," she said to herself. "But anyway…have you two ever heard of Lil' Slugger?"

"Yes!" the twins replied. Then a pause. "No…"

Yuki sighed. "He's the person the Shonen Bat gang is based on. He used to go around at night, wearing golden rollerblades."

"Which is the latest fashion right now," one of the twins added.

"_Anyway_…he also had a baseball cap, and a golden baseball bat that is bent like a dog's leg. He used to attack people late at night, without warning, and attack them. Sometimes, he even killed them."

The twins gasped in horror.

"You know what the worst part is?" Yuki said, dramatically lowering her voice. "He smiles...right before he swings."

One of the twins whimpered. "He's a loony," the other twin said, her voice quivering.

"Aren't they all?" Yuki asked, her voice returning to normal. She placed the plush toy onto her lap and smiled. "So…tell me about your day."

"Well," one of the twins said, "Daddy said he was going to visit us today…"

----

Koji and Arishima stood outside, on the hospital parking lot, each with a cigarette in their hand. In the tense silence between the men, Arishima stared intently at Koji, while Koji stared at an old man who was quietly writing a bizarre equation on the ground. Although Koji's eyes looked distant and unfocused, his lips were set in a thin, sour line.

"No," he said firmly.

Arishima frowned. "C'mon Koji…the system is already whacked enough as it is."

"This is why I quit. I'm not going back."

"I can't do this by myself! Look, no one in the department's helping me. They're too busy deciding whether or not to even _look_ for the Shonen Bats, for cripes sake! And they're leaving me to do all the work of finding a link between victims, and all that shit…"

Koji threw his cigarette away. "Jakkaru is the first victim. Migoto Taira, second victim, was his girlfriend. They send a hit man, and figure, 'Hey, what the hell? Let's kill off everyone he loves.' Simple and clean."

"You see, this is why I was always so jealous. You're better at deducing these kinds of things. C'mon." Arishima pleaded. "Help me out? Just be my informant, or something, please? For gods sake, Garyou, I helped you find out where Ikari was, and when Taira was free!"

Koji was silent for a moment. "I can't." he said quietly. "It won't do any good." He went back into the hospital, feeling Arishima's stunned eyes on his back.

Neither of them noticed the old man getting up. On the last line of his long and complex equation, in neat, little, chalk-written symbols stood the answer.

Two.

----

Two pills fell into his hand.

Wamu blinked as he held the red bottle completely upside down. Not one tablet fell from the container. He was down to his last two pills.

It was past the scheduled time for his dosage. Already his insides felt clenched, already he felt as if something heavy was sitting on his chest. And damn it, he was already getting angry!

_No! _

Wamu forced his thoughts together. He had to stay calm. All those years of building up a decent life for him and his family…he couldn't let it go down the drain! Not because of a stupid pill!

He had to think of something. He couldn't just spend every drop of money they had on medicine. Placing pills back inside the bottle, he tried to figure out his options. He had to get insurance again…but he couldn't get it independently. The cost wouldn't fit into the family's already over-tight budget. That left getting a better job.

Yes. That was it! Wamu laughed as he put the red bottle back inside his pocket. That was it. Getting another job. How hard could that be? All he had to do was remain sane long enough to do so. He would use the last two pills in an emergency.

The bathroom door squeaked and Wamu jumped. A young, tired looking man in a gray suit walked in and headed straight for one of the stalls.

Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

----

_Keep yourself calm. Keep your thoughts together…don't lose it._

With his visitor's pass in hand, Wamu slowly walked through the hospital, his footsteps echoing through the halls. The withdrawal from his medicine wasn't that bad. All he had to do was keep thinking, and not speak much, and he would be fine.

Hell, did he even need the damn pills?

"Mr. Wamu!"

Wamu turned around and saw an obese teenaged boy running towards him. _Damn_, he thought. _I don't really want to talk right now…_ "Oh, hey kid," Wamu said, forcing his lips into a smile. "What're you doing here?"

"A friend of mine got hurt," Kazuki said. "Didn't you see the news? About Migoto Taira?"

"I don't really watch the news," Wamu said. He tried to walk past Kazuki, but the boy grabbed his arm, and tried to lead him into one of the rooms.

"Please come meet Migoto," he said. "She's awake now, and I really want you to meet her."

"Kid, I don't give a damn," Wamu said angrily, trying to get past the large teen. His mind was beginning to cloud, and his vision was getting hazy. "I have to get going."

Kazuki didn't budge. "Just come in and say hello. She could really use some visitors."

"Damn it kid, just move your fat ass!" Wamu yelled, roughly shoving the boy to the wall. Kazuki hit the wall with a thud, and fell to the floor. He stared up at the older man, more out of shock and fear than pain. Wamu glared at the boy, his vision clouded, before he fully realized what he had done. "Oh, kid…I-I'm sorry." He tried to help the boy up, but the teen scrambled away from him and got to his feet.

"I'd better get going now," Kazuki mumbled, not meeting Wamu's eyes. "Goodbye, Mr. Wamu."

Wamu watched as the boy retreated down the hall, and bit his lip.

_Shit._

It hadn't even been a day, and already he was lashing out at people. Damn it, if this was just the beginning, how bad was his mania stage going to become? And what would happen when he sank into depression?

He headed for the elevators. On the way, he touched the red bottle in his pants pocket. His last pills. Not yet. He got into an elevator and watched the doors close. After a second, his stomach lurched, and the elevator began to ascend. No. He couldn't take them yet.

His vision cleared, as his anger began to ebb away. Slowly, he managed to retain his sanity, and strange enough, amiable feelings set in. The elevator stopped, and he got off, feeling much better. Yes, he could sustain himself without his pills. The world was his playground—what did he need pills for? Life was too short!

Humming, Wamu walked into the children's ward, and opened the second door in his sight. Inside, he saw his twin daughters, Jan-bi and Dan-bi, laughing as they sat on their beds. A blind woman sat beside them, with what appeared to be a pink plush doll on her lap.

"Miss Usagi!" Wamu roared, and all three girls jumped in surprise. The twins turned to him, and squealed so loudly that Miss Usagi had to cover her ears.

"Daddy!" The girls jumped off the beds and flung themselves into his arms, holding his midsection so tightly that Wamu thought that they were going to squeeze him in two.

"Girls…squeezing…too much…" He pried Jan-bi and Dan-bi off and hugged them tightly. "How have you two been?"

"Fine," Jan-bi said, smiling brightly. "We've been having therapy sessions with Miss Usagi, so we've been having lots of fun!"

"Really?" Wamu said, looking at Usagi with a smirk. "So the blind bat is actually succeeding with the psycho stuff, eh?"

Jan-bi and Dan-bi gasped in horror, and Miss Usagi, who had been getting up, froze. Wamu looked around, confused. "What?" he asked. "What did I do?" Then it hit him. "Oh shit…Miss Usagi, I am so sorry. I didn't mean it. I-it slipped out."

"Never mind, Mr. Wamu," Miss Usagi said quietly. She gripped her walking stick and began to feel her way out. Wamu took her arm, and felt her tense under his hold.

"Miss Usagi," he said quietly. "At least let me help you get outside."

"I'll be fine," she said briskly, pulling her arm out of his grip. "Girls." She turned to Jan-bi and Dan-bi. "I'll see you next week."

"Bye," the twins said solemnly. Wamu watched Miss Usagi feel her way out of the room and into the hallway. The sounds of her walking stick hitting the hospital floor echoed as she walked away, towards the elevators, and when the sounds faded, Wamu began to kick himself mentally for his insensitivity. His girls helped.

"Daddy, that was mean!" Jan-bi yelled.

"Go apologize to Miss Usagi now!" Dan-bi ordered, her arm sticking straight out, and her index finger pointing in the direction of the door. Wamu frowned, and pushed his daughter's arm down.

"Don't you order me around, little lady," Wamu snapped. "Wrong or not, I am still your father."

"I don't wanna daddy who's mean and insulting," Dan-bi snapped back. She turned her back to his with her arms crossed. "I'm not speaking to you until you apologize to Miss Usagi."

Wamu's face twisted into an ugly snarl. He grabbed Dan-bi and spun her around, forcing her to face him. Dan-bi's eyes widened, but Wamu paid no heed. "Don't you _dare_ turn your back on me, you little—"

The sound of a man clearing his throat stopped him; Wamu turned and saw a doctor by the doorway. Still wearing his white coat, the man's face was set in a deep frown as he watched the sight before him. "What on earth is going on here?" he asked.

----

Clutching the doll tightly against her chest, Yuki pressed the lower left button of the elevator and waited as the machine began to descend.

She didn't know why Wamu's comment hurt so much. She should have been used to those kinds of remarks by now, and to the fact that everyone had a horrible tendency to treat her like she was a little porcelain doll.

Then again, not everyone believed in inner strength. And she did rely on Koji a lot…

Koji. She groaned at the thought of seeing him again. Most likely he was still steamed about her shrugging him off, and she burned with embarrassment at the thought of going back to him, begging for help. She should have thought ahead.

How embarrassing. A psychiatrist-in-training that doesn't think ahead. Had her college classmates been here, they would have laughed at her until the crows came home. Yuki tried to block out the unpleasant image.

_Don't think like that. You're just different._

Yuki froze. Where did _those_ thoughts come from?

Forcing herself to control her state of mind, Yuki pushed all the negative thoughts away as her grip tightened on the toy. Hmm. For some reason, it felt good to hold a doll. She should have played with one when she was younger, instead of reading all those books…

The elevator stopped. Yuki waited for the door open and got off, only to bump into a person that was large, hard, and surprisingly familiar. Yuki paused, and then boldly reached up to touch his face. "Ah. Hello Koji. Are you mad?"

----

The doctor frowned.

"Mr. Wamu," he said slowly. "If you don't have insurance…then I can't allow your girls to stay here any longer."

"Please," Wamu begged. "They need to stay here. Let them stay on credit. You can charge me extra when I have the means of paying you again."

"Mr. Wamu, even though saving lives is our profession…it is still a business. If you can't afford to pay us, then we have to withdraw our services to people who can."

Wamu's jaw dropped, but his shock didn't last long. Slowly, his fists clenched, and his thoughts began to cloud once again.

"Mr. Wamu, our records show that your daughters can stay for an additional week before we begin charging. So until then—"

"I have a better idea," Wamu interrupted. "I'll take them out tomorrow."

The doctor raised a questionable brow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, doc. Tomorrow, I want my girls discharged. What the hell was I thinking, leaving them here? They'll be just as fine at home."

"Mr. Wamu, your daughters are still on medication, and I think—"

"I don't give a damn about what you think," Wamu snapped, all common sense gone. "I don't give a damn about what anyone thinks now. Why do you care, anyway?" Wamu asked, sneering. "I bet that when you look at me and my girls, you see three big leather wallets stuffed to the brim with money. That's all we are to you, aren't we?" The doctor said nothing. Wamu smiled cruelly and stood up. "I thought so." He left the room and slammed the door shut.

He did not stop to think about what consequences his actions might bring. He couldn't think. He was a ball of emotion that couldn't be stopped, and right now, he felt like the strongest man on earth.

It felt as if he would stay this way forever.

----

The feeling only lasted a few hours.

"So…how was your day?"

Wamu looked up from his tofu stew. His wife stared at him from across the table, smiling cheerfully. He hated that smile more than anything on earth tight now. "How was your day?" she repeated, the smile never waning. Gods, he wanted to slap the smile off her face. How dare she smile when he, her husband, felt like total and absolute shit?

"Fine," he lied. "Everything is goddamn fucking fine." His wife looked up from her stew, stunned.

"Honey, is everything alright?" she asked.

"Of course!" Wamu half-yelled, his voice rising and becoming more sarcastic and mocking by the minute. "Everything is fine! How can everything not be goddamn fine?"

"Well, you're cursing, dear…"

"What, I can't curse in my own house?" Wamu snapped. "Do I need a damn permit to say fuck?"

"N-no…" His wife lowered her head.

"Then shut up." Wamu turned his attention back to his dinner. Then he looked up again. "By the way," he said, "I'm bringing Jan-bi and Dan-bi home tomorrow."

"What?" His wife stared at him in shock. "Why? When did you decide this?"

"Today," Wamu answered, pushing his near empty bowl away. "I want them home."

"But…why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I'm telling you now!"

"This isn't what I mean!" his wife cried. "You should have told me, or at least asked my opinion about this matter! Did the doctor say that it was alright?"

Wamu snorted and stood up. "Like he cares. He just wants our money."

"But we have health insurance! What's the matter with you? You're not normally like this!"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Wamu went into the sitting room, sat down, and turned on the television. His wife went after him, leaving the dishes on the table.

"Ken, wait," his wife pleaded. Wamu ignored her and turned up the volume. _Damn bitch. Always a control freak._

"Clean the dishes and leave me alone, Joo-Eun," Wamu said, not taking his eyes off the TV screen.

"Did you take your pills today?"

Wamu froze. Then he forced himself to smile. "Of course dear," he said in the same mocking tone he used earlier. "You know how disastrous things get when I don't. What the hell do you think I am, an idiot?" _Nosy woman._

"No…"

"Just leave me alone." His mind was beginning to cloud.

Joo-Eun stared at him for a moment. Then she bowed her head. "Alright dear. I'll pick up the girls tomorrow."

Wamu didn't even look at his wife. He fixed his eyes on the news reporter in front of him, who was saying that although a few members of the Shonen Bats have been captured, there was a dispute in the police force on whether or not to send the task force to capture the rest of the Shonen Bat gang.

----

Placing the walking stick against the wall, Koji helped Yuki sit at her desk, in front of her typewriter. He watched Yuki feel the typewriter with her small hands, and then watched her place a small, pink plush puppy next to the typewriter.

"I'm sorry Koji,' Yuki said suddenly. "I shouldn't have embarrassed you like that. I'll make it up to you. Anything you want from me, just tell me, okay?"

Koji said nothing. That mere statement could be interpreted in too many ways. Darn it, he'd been hanging around Arishima too long.

"You must still be mad," Yuki whispered. "I understand. Take the rest of the night off. You deserve it."

"You didn't eat dinner," Koji said finally.

Yuki smiled, and took off her shades. "I'm not hungry."

"Your father hired me to take care of you. I'm not going to let you starve. How about some soup?"

"Alright. Um, Koji…what do you think about this puppy?" Yuki picked up the plush and held it up to where she assumed Koji's face was. Koji, who never really like stuffed toys of any kind, blinked nervously at the animal.

"It's pink," he said stupidly.

"Really?" Yuki lowered her hand and touched the toy. "Huh. I should have known the twins would use that color. It's their absolute favorite…" She groped her desk for a moment, and grabbed a rather rumpled looking paper. The sketch. She gave the paper to Koji, and told him to look at the side with Maromi. "That's what they based it on," Yuki said, "Does it look similar?"

Koji looked at the sketch, and then at the crudely made doll. "The doll is disfigured," he said finally. "It's uglier than the sketch. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb made the dog look creepier than it already is."

"Oh…what a shame. Oh well. It was only a gift." Placing the doll on the desk, Yuki felt her way to the typewriter. "I should write about Harumi Chono now. I heard from the pharmacist that she has multiple personality disorder. Can you believe that?"

----

"Excuse me?"

The want ads did not have real jobs; they had either been low-salary jobs, or jobs that had no benefit programs.

"Excuse me!"

His wife had said next to nothing to him that morning. She barely even looked at him. Geez, life sucked.

"Excuse me…_excuse me!_"

Wamu looked up from the counter. His forehead was red from having been pressed to the counter too long. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, his voice full of tiredness and annoyance. The woman, the same one from before, slapped the pink dress on the counter, her face red and angry.

"I want my money back!" she yelled. "I tried this dress on in front of my friends, and I looked like a joke! You are a liar!"

"Whatever. You already cut the tags off, Missy. Take it up with the manager." Wamu lowered his head back on the counter, but suddenly felt a stab of pain, and felt his head being jerked back up.

The woman was holding him by the hair, and was looking very pissed.

"I want my money back," she snarled, "and I want it _now_! NOW, YOU HEAR ME? NOW!"

Damn it, his co-worker took a lousy time for a bathroom break. Wamu didn't think; he couldn't anymore. "Damn it bitch!" he yelled. "Get off of me!" He swung his fist into the air and felt it connect with her jaw. In seconds, the woman was on the floor, holding her jaw and shrieking…or attempting to.

"Awwwwwwgggggouuu!" she moaned, and just at the time his co-worker emerged from the bathroom. He saw her on the ground and ran immediately over to her, panicking.

"Ma'am! Are you alright?"

"Awwwwwwgggggouuu!" she moaned again.

"Oh crap…Wamu!" the co-worker cried. "I think her jaw's broken!"

Wamu didn't say anything. His face reverted to a distant look. He just didn't care. _Good_, he thought as he watched the moaning woman on the ground._ Now she'll shut up._

"What is going on here?"

_Oh no…_

"Mr. Bastard! I mean, Mr. Akogi, sir!" the co-worker yelled. "This woman needs help! Her jaw's broken!"

Dressed in an expensive white suit with a black shirt underneath, Akogi looked from the ailing woman on the ground to Wamu, who was sitting behind the counter, mindlessly watching at the whole situation.

"Call an ambulance," he told the co-worker, and the young man nodded and dashed off. Wamu just sat there, staring with a distant expression on his face.

"What happened?" Akogi asked calmly. Wamu said nothing, but the woman began to make wild hand motions. One of her hands curled into a fist, and the other hand pointed to Wamu, and she began to punch herself lightly on the unbroken part of her jaw. Akogi got the picture. He turned to Wamu.

"Did you strike her?" Akogi asked. Wamu looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, and then tossed Akogi the worn pink dress, which he caught.

"Woman wanted to return this," Wamu said dully. "Already wore it, already cut off the tags. Told her there was nothing I can do, and she nearly tries to rip my hair off. Of course I hit her."

Akogi's eye twitched slightly before he smiled. "Wamu, what is our policy?"

"Shut up and do as you're told."

"The _other_ policy."

Wamu shrugged.

"The customer is always right," Akogi said in a mock-gentle tone. "_Always._"

Wamu frowned. His depression was lifting, and he felt the mania coming in. "What are you saying?"

Akogi smirked. "I'm saying that you should leave your ID with the security guards at the end of the day. You're fired."

His fists clenched. "Fired?" Wamu repeated, his blood slowly beginning to boil. "You're firing me, over something that was the bitch's fault?"

"Ah! I see that you retained some life in that useless body of yours. Too late I'm afraid. You're still fired. Good day." Akogi turned to leave.

Wamu grabbed the man by the back of his white jacket and threw him against the wall, pinning the man's arms with his hands, his face inches from the other's. Wamu saw his employer's eyes widen in shock and fear, and he felt a strange pleasure from that.

"You think you can just fire me?" Wamu hissed, watching the man squirm. "You think you can just throw a sick man like me out into the streets, for something that wasn't even my fault?" He shook Akogi, making the man even more terrified.

"Guards!" Akogi screamed, twisting under the man's grasp. "Guards! Get this madman away from me!"

"Madman?" Wamu repeated, his eyes wild. "_Madman_? I'll show you a madman! HEY! GET OFF!"

Two guards grabbed Wamu from behind and pulled him off of Akogi. The white clad man stood up and straightened his rumpled clothing as he sneered at Wamu. "Drag this man outside," Akogi said as he watched Wamu struggle viciously in the grip of the guards. "I don't ever want to see him around here again!"

The guards nodded, and sure enough, they dragged the thrashing and screaming Wamu towards the exit of the store. They didn't stop until they were outside, where they then threw him onto the cold pavement.

"See ya, psycho," one of them said before they went back inside the store.

----

"The paperwork is all ready, Mrs. Wamu. You and your girls can leave at any time."

Joo-Eun nodded. The doctor stared at her with a grave look on his face. Then he spoke, in a more quiet tone. "You know," he said, "your girls can stay an additional week. Their stay is paid for up until then."

"What do you mean?" Joo-Eun asked, confused. "Doesn't our insurance cover the cost of prolonged stay?"

"Your family doesn't have health insurance."

"That's not true," Joo-Eun protested. "My husband already has health insurance. You know it yourself, doctor!"

"That's not what he told me," the doctor said. "He told me that recently, his employer cut off all health benefits to all employees, so insurance is no longer an easy option for him. Didn't he tell you?"

Joo-Eun couldn't speak.

"I wonder," the doctor said, "how he's going to be able to pay for all his medication."

Joo-Eun still couldn't speak. Suddenly, it all made sense…

"It's a shame to see a man like that kept alive purely by drugs" the doctor said. "Life's a horrible thing sometimes…"

"Doctor," Joo-Eun said finally, "I want my girls to stay for the remainder of the week."

----

"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…"

With his job uniform and items in a small bag, Wamu slowly walked past several apartment buildings in the late afternoon sun. The streets were deserted, save a few children who were playing a game, singing "Kagome, Kagome".

Depression had sunk in again. He had lost his job completely. Now his family had no income. The health insurance seemed like nothing compared to this. This…feeling of despair.

Gods. He was a loser.

"…when will you come out?"

How had this happened? A few days ago, he had a satisfactory life! His medication was in order, his wife loved him with all her heart, and his children were fine…more or less. Wamu stopped in front of a trash pile, his eyes boring into the smelly, black bags.

Damn it! This wasn't his fault! He was a good man!

He threw his own bag into the pile of garbage. _This is where I'm going to end up_, he thought to himself. _This is where my family is going to end up if I don't do something about this now. God, when did my life become such a hellhole? _

Behind him, the distant sounds of rollerblading could be heard.

"In the evening of the dawn, the crane and turtle slipped…"

He reached into his pocket and took out the red container. He unscrewed the cap and took out the last two pills. It was ironic, really. All this over a couple of pills. His life, ruined…all because of a couple of pills. His hand clenched over the tablets. He hated himself. He hated himself so much.

"It can't end like this," he whispered. "I can't end up this way…"

A figure stepped out from the shadows, and sped towards him from behind. But Wamu, lost in his own thoughts, didn't notice. The figure raised his bat.

"Tell us please…who stands behind you now?"

The figure swung.

Wamu screamed as he felt the metal bat smash against the back of his left knee, and he crumpled to the ground, one leg limp and useless against the pavement. The pills flew down the sidewalk, rolling down the gutter and out of sight.

_NO! MY SANITY!_

Tears sprang to his eyes as pain shot up his now lifeless limb, and in the distance, the singing children shrieked and fled. As Wamu lifted his head, he tried to see through blurry eyes who his attacker was. He caught sight of a blurry boy in a red baseball cap. Golden rollerblades were on his feet, and a twisted yellow bat was in his hands as the child raised his weapon again and delivered a painful blow to his back.

He was limp as a noodle as the boy quickly searched him, and made off with his wallet and cell phone. Hours later, a drunkard found him as he stumbled home from work, but by then, he was already half delirious from the pain.

----

"It's a good thing your back isn't broken, sir, though I suggest that you take it easy for a while. A smashed knee is no laughing matter."

Wamu winced as he tried to move himself with the crutches. Even _moving_ his leg was painful. He stood up anyway, and hobbled over to the reception desk, where the nurse was waiting for him to pay his bill. Eighty thousand yen.

He had no choice. He wired the money from his savings account.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call your family members?" the nurse asked. "I don't think you can get home like that by yourself."

Wamu didn't answer her. He had talked himself out with that detective who kept asking him about his attacker. In the end, the man had looked thoroughly confused, as if something he had said made no sense to him whatsoever. Then again, the existence of little boys smacking people with baseball bats made no sense whatsoever. Strange though…the detective had looked oddly familiar…

He headed directly for the exit.

If only one could head for an exit out of life.

----

He managed to hobble home, which took the better part of an hour, and managed to painfully make his way to his apartment. However, when he approached his door, he caught sight of Joo-Eun standing outside their doorway, looking both grieved and worried at the same time. Her features turned into one of relief, then one of shock when she saw him, and she immediately ran up to him to help him.

"What happened to you?" she asked, keeping her voice low on account of the neighbors. "Who hurt you?"

"A Shonen Bat brat," Wamu muttered as they stepped into their apartment. Not bothering to take off his shoes, he hobbled to the sitting room and crashed onto the nearest sofa, sighing loudly. "Where are the girls?" he asked.

Joo-Eun froze for a moment. Then she whispered, "The hospital."

"WHAT?" Wamu exploded, sending his wife cowering despite the fact that he was injured. "I told you to take them out of the hospital!"

"You did not tell me you lost your health insurance," Joo-Eun said, her voice trembling slightly. "I kept the girls there because the hospital said that they could stay. Why not let them take care of the girls while we look for better jobs?"

Wamu furiously tried to stand, but at three o'clock in the morning, with a hurt back, and a broken leg, this was not possible to do in a second. "I decide what to do with my children," he hissed. "And I will look for the job, not you!"

"Look at you!" Joo-Eun yelled, no longer caring who heard. "You can barely move! How can you provide for the family when you're like this? Have you even taken your pills?"

"Bitch, that's my business!" The room began to blur before him, but he didn't care.

"Not when it affects people around you!" Joo-Eun cried, tears streaming out of her eyes. She ran to their room, slamming and locking the door behind her.

Neither one of them said anything more to each other that night.

----

Joo-Eun left early the next morning to take care of some business that she wouldn't tell him about. It was just as well; he didn't want to see her face anyway.

He spent the day searching through the want ads, but there were no jobs. In fury, he threw the paper to the floor, changed the best he could with that damn cast on, and hobbled outside into the late afternoon. He headed for the pharmacy. He tried not to let things come to this, but he no longer had a choice in the matter. He'd go insane without the pills.

"Usagiuma!" he bellowed as he walked into the pharmacy. "Usagiuma!"

The blonde lifted her head from behind the white counter, as a very elderly woman turned to him, cane in hand, looking very annoyed.

"What's all the shouting about?" the woman croaked. "Can't an old lady get her medicine in peace?"

"Sorry, Ms. Chono," Usagiuma apologized as she handed the lady the bag. "He's not normally like that."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm Maria! Get that right!"

"Sorry…Maria."

The old woman snorted and walked away, glaring at Wamu as she passed. Wamu didn't see her. He couldn't see anything clearly anymore…he hobbled up to Usagiuma and collapsed on the counter.

"Usagiuma, please help," Wamu pleaded. "I need a refill of these." He took out the red container. _Keep cool. Keep cool._

Usagiuma nodded, though she did it nervously. "O-okay. But are you alright?"

"Never mind that, dammit! Just refill me!"

"Alright! Give me your insurance card, and we can go on our way."

Wamu's grip tightened on his crutches. His insides felt clenched, as if someone was squeezing him. "I don't have it. Just give me the pills on credit, please."

"I-I can't do that."

"Please! This is my sanity we're talking about!" His thoughts were unconnected…

"I-I can't…"

"PLEASE!" His mind was clouded…

"I CAN'T!"

Then everything was lost.

----

_Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…_

He…he couldn't see clearly…everything was blurred. When did he get out into the street? Where was he?

Someone bumped into him. Knocked him down.

"Bastard!" Wamu found himself yelling.

…_when will you come out?_

The man laughed at him, then went off. Damn it! He had to get up! Damn leg…

He walked on. The sky was darkening. He had no idea where he was. Where was his beloved Joo-Eun? Where were Jan-bi and Dan-bi? Again, he was knocked down.

_In the evening of the dawn, the crane and turtle slipped._

"Get off the streets, you bum!" a man yelled. Who it was, Wamu didn't know. Fine! He'd get off the streets! If he could see, or knew where he was, he'd do it!

What was that sound? It was the sound of metal scraping against the pavement…

_Tell us please, who stands behind you now?_

He turned. He saw the outline of a boy. He had a red cap. Golden rollerblades. A twisted yellow bat? It was the bastard who robbed him! He'd show him! He had no idea how, but his mouth…it was spewing out the words all on its own.

"Hey! You punk! Where's my money?"

Yup, that sounded about right.

The boy continued to skate towards him.

"Oh, you want a piece of me? C'mon! Come and get me! You piece of Shonen Bat shit!"

The boy was raising his bat now. He wouldn't go down this time. He had nothing to lose. Invincible, he was!

"COME ON! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"

The boy was…smiling? What a strange—

Pain. Darkness. Hurt.

_Kagome, Kagome…_

----

In the hospital, Joo-Eun knelt at her husband's bedside. His head was heavily bandaged, and his broken leg was propped up. She rested her head at the foot of the bed.

"Dear," she whispered quietly, "I got a job. It doesn't pay much, but it gives health insurance. I can pay for the hospital…your medicine…everything. Isn't that great?"

Outside the hospital, a small group of children played on the sidewalk. In a circle, with one person inside, closing his eyes, the others ran a circle around him, singing.

"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…"

**If that didn't freak you out, I don't know what will. Oh, I'm putting up Prophetic Visions. It hints at the next chapter, but only if you can decipher the meaning. Heh. (I swear, the DVD's Prophetic Visions were exactly like this.) It's fun, and I enjoyed trying to figure out the meaning before the next episode. Try it! **

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin...family in truth is a fable told to true idealists, and those who wish to further the delusion. The rabbit's search for truth is halted, and the lone donkey's cart grows from the weight added. Alas, the crossroads is nearing! The road of salvation tempts the donkey, and the choice must be made of whether to accept the path of salvation. And then…**

**Read and review. **


	4. A Woman's Place

Disclaimer: I have no rights to PA. But this plot and all original characters are mine, and anyone who tries to copy it will be hunted down and gutted like a fish.

A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers.

I am considering taking down this story due to two other writer friend of mine who told me that this was the biggest piece of crap they have ever read. As a result, this chapter had been affected by it…but anyway, if you guys think that the story is crap too, and if you guys prefer the more romance centered stories that I have been seeing, then I will remove _Unchangeable_ and withdraw from this part of fanfiction.

Note: Somewhat mature issues delved into.

_**Chapter four: A Woman's Place**_

Pant. Pant.

The light yellow rollerblades glinted in the streetlight. Sweat dropped down the boy's forehead as his black hair plastered itself to his face.

_Got to escape. Can't get caught…_

"After him! Don't let him get away!"

Gripping the wooden bat in his hand, boy sped down the street, jumping over trash bags and pushing past various people as he tried to escape. His orange-red cap flew off his head, but he paid no notice; he sought only to escape his pursuers. Damn cap could be replaced.

He turned sharply at a corner and found himself at a dead end.

_Shit._

He heard footsteps behind him and turned just as a policeman tackled him to the ground, nearly crushing him with his weight. His bat fell to the pavement and rolled away, forgotten. His hands were forced behind his back, and seconds later he felt cold metal around his wrist.

"Youji Tori, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…"

----

In a white office filled with pills of every kind, a woman stood silently as they listened intently to the blaring, worn-looking radio that stood in the shadowed corner. The woman already knew what happened, but listened nonetheless.

"Our top story today involves a civilian by the name of Ken Wamu. He has been brutally attacked by the Shonen Bat gang four days ago, and has been in a comatose state until today. His attack brings the list of critically injured to a total of three. The newly appointed chief of police has given his approval for the full Shonen Bat manhunt, and a special squadron has been assigned to arrest the juvenile gang. Several lower ranked members have already been captured, but the police are offering a large reward for those who can capture the remaining members…"

Clink.

Mikomi Usagiuma pulled her finger away from the off switch as a bitter smile twisted its way to her lips. "I still can't believe it," she whispered. "I can't believe he was attacked again…"

----

"Agh. My head hurts."

In the city park, Koji sat down next to Yuki on the street bench as she threw her head back in exasperation, her black shades nearly falling off in the process. Her lips were pulled into a frown, and her face was long and drawn, giving her a look of a thirty-year-old.

That look really didn't suit a girl who was supposed to be eighteen.

"Miss Usagi, don't be upset," Koji said soothingly. He took her small hand and gave it a squeeze. "I mean, it _has_ been forty years. You really can't expect all of the victims to still be alive." Yuki pulled her head back up and sighed.

"I really wanted to find Kawazu and Hirukawa," she said quietly. "But damn it, they're dead. This is going to be a problem. There's no information on them whatsoever."

"You should take a break. The pressure from all this is going to make your head explode."

"It will not," Yuki protested. She frowned again, before the look on her face quickly turned into one of realization. "Say Koji,' she said, excitement barely concealed in her voice, "could you check the unofficial police report for me again? Maybe there's something we missed. There might be a list of family members for the victims!"

At that statement, Koji's entire body went numb. Normally such a request wouldn't shake him like this, but his only friendly contact within the police force, Arishima, was not on the best of terms with him at present. Chances of getting a peek at the file were impossible now. "I don't think that's a good idea, Miss Usagi," Koji said, barely managing to keep his voice even. "Things at the force are really hectic right now, especially after Wamu's second attack."

"I didn't mean I needed it right away," Yuki replied, smiling. "Take your time. I think I _will_ take a break from this. But you sound worried. Are you all right, Koji?"

"Fine. Just peachy. Let's get you to class."

----

Usagiuma took a small sip of water as the door to the pharmacy opened, and a dark-haired man in a gray suit came in, his overall appearance weary and haggard. Usagiuma gave him a full up and down stare before asking very suspiciously, "What do you want…_sir_?"

The man opened his mouth, and for a moment Usagiuma thought he was going to speak. But then the man's mouth widened into a full yawn, giving Usagiuma a clear view of his tongue, his tonsils, and his teeth…one of which had a very large, black cavity.

Gods, what she wouldn't give to throw up.

"S-sorry," the man said after he finished yawning. "I've been having some rough nights…you have any aspirin?"

"Yeah." Usagiuma grabbed the nearest bottle, hurriedly rang up the sale, and nearly tossed the bottle to the man in her haste. The man smiled, and handed her a bill.

"Thanks," he said as she took the bill. "I needed this."

"You're welcome," Usagiuma said, trying not to look at the man's mouth. "Have a nice day."

"I'll try. But I need your help on something, Mrs. Usagiuma."

Her head snapped up so quickly that she nearly got whiplash. "What? How did you know my name?"

The man's smile turned into a smirk, and he took out something that appeared to be a wallet from his pants pocket. He flipped it open, and revealed a rusty policeman's badge. "I'm Detective Hotaka Arishima," he said broadly. "I'd like to ask you some questions about Ken Wamu."

Usagiuma blinked. "What about him?"

"I was told that before his attack, he came in here. I'm wondering if perhaps he said something, or maybe did something strange."

"I—well—he comes in here all the time."

"Really? Why?"

"He's a mess, detective. Heart problems, high cholesterol, diabetes…you name it. Sometimes I think that the only reason he's alive is because of his medication."

"Any reason he came in four days ago?"

Usagiuma paused for a moment before putting on a hard face. "For medication, detective. What else?" Suddenly her cell phone rang. "Shoot. Hold on a minute." She picked up the phone and flipped it open. "Hello? Oh…hello, Mother. What? Yes. Yes. It's an emergency? Where's Nanashi? Mother, I'm at work now! Okay, okay. I'll come home." Usagiuma flipped the phone shut and bit her lip. She turned to the detective and forced a smile on her face. "I'm sorry sir. I have to go now."

----

_The bright, white stage lights shined on the set as people moved back and forth with various props, trying to get the scene in order. The actors quietly went over their lines once more as the lights dimmed, and the director gave the cue to begin recording. _

At once, a man, dressed in a fine black suit, came in through the prop door with a pork pie hat and a briefcase in hand. The audience began to cheer loudly at the sight of the man. "Honey, I'm home!" he greeted as he took off his hat. "Son! Daddy's here!"

_From the prop stairs, a young, teenaged boy went flying down, his eyes bright and his face spilt into an eager smile. Again, the audience began to cheer, the women more than the men. "Hey dad!" he greeted, and rushed forward to give his father a hug. "I got a job today, sir! I'm going to help support the family!"_

"_Just like any man should," an elderly woman said as she looked down from the top of the stairs. "That's a man's place."_

"_Right grandma!" The boy agreed. He turned to his father with a determined look. "I'm gonna make you proud of me, dad."_

"_Atta boy!" The father rumpled his son's hair and grinned. "Where's your mother?"_

"_Here I am, dear!" A blonde woman emerged from the prop kitchen, dressed in a homely dress with an apron over it. "I just finished making dinner, so you two better go wash up!"_

"_Yes ma'am!" The two men saluted her, and went off the set, with the old woman following them. The audience hooted as the woman, now alone, turned to them and gave them a friendly wink._

----

Usagiuma ran up the sidewalk of the neighborhood, her outfit disheveled and her hair flying wildly behind her, giving her the look of a madwoman. She ran around a group of children singing "Kagome, Kagome" and burst into her house, where she found her twenty year old son on the couch, lying on his back with his dirt-caked feet hanging off the armrest. His eyes were glazed as he watched the blaring television in front of him, and he did not seem to be aware that she was even in the house.

Usagiuma's face hardened as her gaze searched the room, landing on her son with some reproach. There was a basket of unfolded laundry spilled over in the corner. The dirty dishes from the morning's breakfast lay untouched in the sink. When she saw two empty beer bottles on the coffee table, however, she felt a bubbling fury well up within her. She slammed the door behind her.

Her son heard the noise and lifted his head to see who it was. Seeing her, he sat up on his elbows and greeted sheepishly, "Hey mom. You're home early."

"Where's your grandmother, Nanashi?"

Nanashi heard the cold tone of his mother's voice and gulped. "U-upstairs…"

"Why didn't you do the dishes? Or at least fold the laundry?"

"I-I was going to, b-but grandma told me not to. That you'd do it."

Usagiuma bit her lip and forced herself not to scream at her son. Instead, she turned her back on him and marched up the stairs to the second floor, to the last door on the left side. She knocked loudly on the painted wood, and forced herself to step back as an old woman came out of the room, her beady eyes narrowing immediately at the sight of Usagiuma.

"Hello, _Mother_," Usagiuma said through gritted teeth. "Just what was the emergency? It must be important, since you dragged me out of work in the middle of the day."

The old woman lifted her head up high. "It most certainly was," she said haughtily. "I am starving, for there is simply nothing to eat around here."

Usagiuma stared at her mother-in-law in disbelief. "You—you dragged me out of work…because you were hungry? Why didn't you just cook for yourself? Or ask Nanashi to do it?"

"How dare you raise your voice to me!" the mother-in-law cried. "Don't you know where your place is? A woman's place is at home, keeping the house in order. It's not at some pharmacy, where you go off flirting with men."

Usagiuma's jaw clenched. "Mother, I do not flirt."

"And besides," the mother-in-law continued, ignoring Usagiuma, "I could never ask my precious Nanashi to do housekeeping. He's a man! Men don't do such things."

A smile forced its way to Usagiuma's lips. "Mother, today there are many men who stay home to take care of the housework. Women today are more—"

"Whorish! They've forgotten their place!"

"No! That's not—"

"Why are you wasting time standing here?" the mother-in-law sneered. "Go make me some lunch! And some for Nanashi too! We're starving!"

Forcing herself to stay calm, Usagiuma nodded and went downstairs. _I'll make you some lunch, you old bat_, she thought venomously. _One of these days, I'll take you out to lunch…permanently._

"Don't forget to fold the laundry!" the mother-in-law shouted from the top of the stairs. "And clean those dishes!"

"Yes, Mother," Usagiuma replied sarcastically as she passed her son, who was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"Mom, are you alright?" he asked anxiously. Usagiuma stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"You know mom," Nanashi said quietly. "I could wash the dishes while you make lunch. And we could fold the laundry together."

_Why are you offering to do this now?_ "I'd love that, but your grandmother would have a hissy-fit if she caught you."

"Does it matter? I like doing those kinds of things anyway. You know why."

_Yes. Yes I do._ "Don't tell your grandmother or father. They'd kill both you and me."

"Yes mom."

Usagiuma went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, pulling out several vegetables. She turned to her son and smiled. "How about some curry for lunch?"

"Yay!"

----

"The human mind is one of the most complex things known to man. Its design, though simple in appearance, holds many secrets that could forever change the world itself if we ever get the chance to fully comprehend its absolute potential. Some say that humans only use a tiny portion of the brain, so think about what could happen if one ever gets the chance to go beyond—"

Yuki turned off the tape recorder and slipped the device into her red bag as she and Koji walked arm-in-arm towards their apartment to retire for the day. Next to her, Koji yawned deeply, a habit that came as a result of listening to her professor's lectures. Yuki sighed.

"You know Koji," Yuki said quietly, "this is quite an educational experience for you if you think about it. I mean, doesn't the power of the human mind interest you at all?"

"Miss Usagi," Koji said, his voice filled with boredom, "if I cared about the human mind, then I wouldn't have filled mine with countless hours of internet pornography when I was fifteen."

Yuki paled. "That was a little too much information." She heard Koji chuckle.

"If you're going to be a psychiatrist, Miss Usagi, then you have to get used to hearing things like this. It comes with the job."

"Oh, I know that...but coming from you…it's a bit startling. I mean, internet pornography?"

"It's a thing that Koji and I will always enjoy," a voice said behind her. A rough, callused hand descended on her shoulder, and Yuki's entire body went rigid as thoughts raced across her mind.

_Stalker! Thief! Rapscallion!_

"Arishima!" Koji yelled as he pushed the man's hand off of Yuki's shoulder. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you…Are you stalking me or something?"

_Arishima?_ Yuki pondered for a moment before realization dawned on her. He was the detective who questioned her after Jakkaru's attack! What did he want? Yuki heard the young detective chuckle lightly before he spoke.

"I wouldn't call it stalking, Koji. I call it…following. I'd much rather stalk your young friend here." Yuki heard the suggestive tones in the man's voice and shivered slightly. Was the man flirting with her?

"Get to the point, asshole," Koji growled.

"Koji!" Yuki yelped.

"Miss Usagi, there are many things I apologize for when I'm around you, but I will never apologize for calling this asshole a…asshole." Yuki felt Koji turn to Arishima. "So what do you want?"

Yuki heard Arishima sigh. "Damn it, Koji, I can't even drop by anymore?"

Koji snorted. "You probably want my help for the Shonen Bat case."

"Well…yes and no. You're only half right, for once. I _am_ here to talk about the case, but it's the lovely Miss Usagi here that I have to speak too." Yuki felt Arishima's hand on her shoulder again, and this time she forced her body not to tremble at the foreign contact. "Can we…have a moment?"

Yuki didn't particularly like the sound of that, and judging from the way Koji's muscles tensed, he didn't like it either. "Whatever you need to say to her, you can say in front of me," he said roughly.

"C'mon man," Arishima protested. "You know that's not how it works."

"It's how _I_ work. And also…I don't trust you around women."

It was Arishima's turn to snort. "Like you were any better back then. Anyway—" his hand squeezed Yuki's shoulder "—Miss Usagi, I need you to come to the police station whenever you can this week. We've caught a lot of the Shonen Bat gang members recently, and I thought that voice identification might be in order—since Koji here claims that you're an expert on sound."

"Well, I'm not an expert per se," Yuki admitted as she shrugged his hand off, "but I'll come by soon. Just don't mistreat the boys, though. Some of them are still children, you know."

Arishima laughed. "You really believe that?" he asked. "I swear, when you said that, I got a mental image of your father. You're a lot like him, you know?"

"R-really?" Yuki didn't know whether to thank Arishima or kick him. "I-I…"

"I meant it in a good sense, Miss Usagi. Don't take it offensively. If there's anything you need, by the way, don't hesitate to call me. Here's my number." Arishima pressed a card in her hand. "I'll trust Koji to tell you the number. It's for professional reasons only, I swear."

"Err…thank you." Yuki slipped the card into her bag. "C'mon Koji…let's go home."

----

_The audience clapped loudly as the father came onto the set and sat down at the dining table. The grandmother and son were already seated, and all three waited with large, luminous eyes as the mother finally emerged, holding a big pot of steaming soup. She set it at the center of the table as the rest of the family awed over the dinner._

"_This looks delicious!" the grandmother said.  
_

"_I can hardly wait!" the son exclaimed. He took a deep sniff and sighed. "Oh, hurry mother. I'm famished!"_

"_Now son," the father said sternly, "good things come to those who wait. And boy, has the wait been worth it!" He gazed at his wife in tenderness. "I love you, honey buns."_

_The mother blushed. "And I love you, snicker doodle."_

_  
The audience applauded as the family began to laugh with mirth, the mother hardest of all._

"_I love my life," she said proudly._

----

The radio blared loudly.

"This just in…police have just arrested a boy who appears to be the leader of the Shonen Bat gang…although he does not fit the description of the Shonen Bat member who is behind the string of unmotivated brutal street assaults, no information had been extracted from him at this time…"

Usagiuma switched the radio off. Placing the just-washed dishes on the table, Usagiuma took the pot of fish soup and placed it at the center of the table, as her son arranged the utensils in their proper order.

"Call your grandmother," Usagiuma said wearily, and her son went off to fetch the elderly woman. Usagiuma slumped down into a chair and threw her head back, not ever wanting to move again.

_Ring._

Damn phone.

Sighing, Usagiuma picked up her cell phone. "Hello? Oh honey! How's everything at the station? Uh huh. Oh…so you're not coming home tonight? Well…okay. Hm? Your mother? Ach, do we have to talk about her? She's fine dear. But can you tell her that she can't keep pulling me out of the pharmacy just to cook her meals? I'm not her personal maid! What…I can't tell her myself! She'll go on a rant about how a woman is supposed to stay at home—I am not going to be that kind of woman! Damn it Katsu! I can't—oh!"

Her phone was ripped from her hand, and Usagiuma turned to see her mother-in-law now gripping the phone. The elder woman's face was stony, a sign that she was seriously pissed. _Oh crap…_

The old woman brought the phone to her ear as a mocking smile made its way to her lips. "Hello, Katsu dear? It's mother. Oh, I know how your work keeps you busy, especially with what's been going on nowadays. Oh, don't worry about things here. I just wish you'd teach your wife some manners. She was so rude to me darling! I mean, what's a little laundry, and a meal or two now and then? I've never seen anyone lazier!"

Her hands were so clenched that her knuckles were white as her fingernails dug into her palms. She bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming at the old woman, and instead turned her attention to the fish soup as her mother-in-law ended the conversation.

"…okay dear. I'll see you soon. Goodbye!" The old woman shut the phone off and set it to the side, as Usagiuma began to pour soup into her nervous son's bowl. The elderly woman peered into the soup pot and frowned. "Are you sure this is seasoned enough?" she asked warily. "I heard that the supermarket brands are poorly seasoned."

"It's fine, mother," Usagiuma droned.

The mother-in-law sniffed haughtily and picked up her own bowl, but rather than give it to Usagiuma, she began to inspect it. "You call this clean?" she sneered as she looked over the bowl. "I've seen dirty diapers that are cleaner than this! How dare you serve me dinner in such unsanitary conditions!" The mother-in-law threw the bowl at Usagiuma, where it struck her sharply on the head. Usagiuma resisted the urge to cry out, but the action emitted a gasp from her son, who stood up and faced his grandmother in a mixture of fear and anger.

"Mother didn't wash those dishes!" he cried. "I did! Don't blame her, blame me! Hit me!" The young man lowered his head within his grandmother's striking distance, but the old woman just turned to Usagiuma with a shocked and furious gaze.

"You made Nanashi wash the dishes!" she yelled. "I thought I told you that as a man, Nanashi would not do such things!"

"Mother," said Usagiuma as patiently as she could, "I work at the pharmacy. I do the laundry. I fold the laundry. I do the shopping. I make the beds. I clean the fridge; I do a whole lot of cr…stuff! Please, let me have some time off for myself!"

"Quit your job!" the mother-in-law shouted. "Quit your job and devote your time to the house!"

For a moment, Usagiuma was too stunned to speak. But she quickly recovered. "Mother, I will not quit! I am going to make a career for myself. I will not end up as a goddamn housewife who depends solely on her husband!"

"That is your place!" the mother-in-law shrieked, and the son, who had been watching all this, began to cry.

"I hate you!" the young man cried. "You're making mom so miserable! I hate women like you!" With that he ran out of the room and up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door so hard that both Usagiuma and the mother-in-law flinched. The stared after Nanashi for a moment, before turning towards one another in anger.

"Now look what you've done!" they cried at the same time.

"This is your entire fault," the mother-in-law snarled. "Your incompetence and stubbornness has upset the boy!"

"_My_ incompetence?" Usagiuma repeated in disbelief. "_My _stubbornness?"

"Don't make me repeat myself!"

"I don't believe—I can't—you—I—AAAGGGHH!" Usagiuma stomped out of the room and headed for the door.

"Get back here!" the mother-in-law yelled. "Where do you think you're going at this time of night?"

"Away from you!" Usagiuma yelled back as she slammed the door behind her.

_I hate my life._

----

He needed control.

After the uncomfortable encounter with Arishima, Koji had taken Yuki straight home, where he had spent the rest of the day keeping Yuki entertained and relaxed. He forced her away from the typewriter, as she had no information to type out anyway, and they had watched (well, Yuki had _listened_ to) a total of three movies, from _The Sixth Sense_ to _I Still Know What You Did Last Summer_. With the disfigured pink puppy toy in her hands, Yuki had amazingly fallen asleep during a horrific killing, but she had done so right on his shoulder, making it impossible for him to move without waking her up.

He wouldn't have minded so much in the past, when she was just a scrawny kid. He would have simple hauled her over his shoulder, dumped her on her bed, and leave her for the night. But now…she was an eighteen year old woman, who had recently acquired all that a woman needed to be attractive. She wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, but spending six years with a person, knowing all her preferences, her weaknesses, her vulnerabilities…

No! Koji forced himself to remain calm. Attractive or not, Yuki was still ten years younger than him, and he had made a special promise to her father to _protect_ her, not fuck her.

_  
What better way to protect her, _a nasty voice whispered_, than to be together with her forever?_

NO! THESE THOUGHTS WERE WRONG!

"I am not a pedophile!" Koji hissed to himself. Yuki stirred and yawned, lifting her head off his shoulder.

"W-w-what happened?" she asked, stifling another yawn. "Did they all die yet?"

"Eh, yeah," Koji said quickly, turning off the film. "Go to bed, Miss Usagi. It's getting late."

"Okay," Yuki murmured sleepily, but was interrupted by the phone ringing. "Who's that?"

Koji had no idea, but he got up and answered the phone anyway. "Hello?"

"Hello, Garyou!" a feminine voice replied. "It's me! Hitomi!"

_Oh god, no._

"Who is it?" Yuki asked from the sitting room.

"I-it's—" Koji began, but was cut off when the person on the other side spoke again.

"Is that my Yuki-chan I hear? Put her on, Garyou! I wanna talk to my baby!"

_May God have mercy on my soul…  
_

"Here," Koji said, giving the phone to Yuki. "It's…your mother."

"Mama?" Still holding the puppy plush toy, Yuki took the receiver with her free hand and held it to her ear. "Mama? Is everything alright? Of course! Koji's been taking good care of me. Oh…really?" Yuki's face paled. "Oh…you will? When? Oh…okay. If that's what you want. Goodbye, mama." Yuki hung up the phone.

"What'd she say?" Koji asked.

"Mama…mama's…going to come visit."

----

_The mother sat on the props couch with the grandmother next to her. They both had the happiest of smiles on their faces as they held each other's hands. The audience fell quiet as they watched the tender moment._

"_Oh my dearest mother-in-law," said the mother. "I only wish for you to be happy."_

"_And I do not wish to be a burden on you!" the grandmother replied. "You are the best daughter-in-law any woman could hope for. My son is so lucky to have found you!"_

_The woman smiled. "No, mother. I am lucky to have found him. He works so hard to provide a home for us. It's only fair that I do my fair share!"_

_The two women smiled at each other as the lights faded._

_The audience cheered. _

----

Usagiuma tiptoed back into the house hours later, when she was almost certain that everyone was asleep. Opening the door slowly, she crept into the cold and unlit house and shut the door. She checked a nearby clock; it was two in the morning.

_Well_, she thought, _at least the old hag is asleep. _

She was glad she had left the house when she did. If she stayed a minute longer, she would have strangled the old woman, something she desperately wanted to do for fourteen years.

She passed the sitting room and was heading for the stairs when the lights suddenly flickered on. She heard angry breathing behind her and slowly turned around...her stomach churned unpleasantly as her eyes fell upon her very ticked-off looking mother-in-law.

_Oh shit…_

"Welcome home," the mother-in-law said quietly. "You were gone for hours. Where have you been?"

_None of your business._ "Here and there," she replied curtly.

"Don't talk that way to me!" the mother-in-law snapped. "I can't believe a daughter-in-law would leave her mother all alone, with nothing but that disgusting fish soup to eat. How could you be so careless and stupid? Were you raised to be that way, or is that just in your idiotic nature?"

A pang went through Usagiuma's heart, but she forced the cool look on her face to stay. "I don't want to talk," Usagiuma said, trying to keep her voice even. "I'm going to bed. I have work tomorrow, and don't even _think_ about calling me there again."

The mother-in-law gaped at her wordlessly, and with some satisfaction, Usagiuma went upstairs to her room. As she was about to go into her room, she heard the sounds of footsteps furiously running up the stairs. "Wait!" the mother-in-law yelled. "I'm not done!"

Usagiuma quickly went into her room and slammed the door, locking it. She heard the old woman pounding like a madwoman at the door, but all Usagiuma did was bite. She bit down on her own lip until she tasted blood.

There was nothing else she could do.

She was trying too hard to keep her own sanity intact.

----

_The father and mother lay on the prop bed, their arms around one another. They smiled at each other and sighed._

"_Isn't this great, honey?" the mother said softly. "We have the perfect life. A wonderful home, a terrific son, and your mother is such a good person. And most of all, we love each other so much."_

_The audience awed._

_  
The father chuckled. "Even if we didn't have the home, the son, or my mother hanging around, we'd still be the happiest couple in the world."_

"_Of course! Because we love each other."_

"_Love overpowers anything, baby," the father said as he snuggled close to his wife. "But you know…this paradise we have here? It'll last forever baby. As long as we have each other, that's never going to change."_

"_I love you, darling."_

"_I love you too."_

_The two kissed._

_The audience screeched and hooted._

----

"Hello? Is that you honey? Good."

Usagiuma stood outside the pharmacy doors, clutching her cell phone in one hand as she spoke. "I just called to see when you were coming home." She paused. "I know that it's been a hassle at the station, but I'm your wife, dammit! I need to see you. Your mother? With Nanashi. Honey, can't you just come home for dinner? I miss you." She waited for his response. "Your photo isn't enough! Please…come home? Oh…I see. Alright. I love—" Usagiuma stopped, and slowly pulled the phone away from her ear.

He had hung up on her.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Usagiuma?"

Usagiuma turned around and found herself face to face with a blind girl and a tall bald man. Usagiuma forced herself to smile. "Hello, Miss Usagi, Mr. Garyou. What can I do for you today?"

"Aspirin would be nice," Garyou murmured.

Miss Usagi elbowed him in the stomach and, ignoring his grunt of pain, quickly added, "And we'd also like to thank you for your help on getting information about Harumi Chono. I didn't even know she lived around here until you told me."

"A career in medicine comes in handy at times," Usagiuma replied. She grabbed a bottle of aspirin and bagged it. "So how _is_ that book of yours coming along? That last one sent chills up my spine."

"I-it's coming alone fine," Miss Usagi said nervously. "Don't expect too much, though."

"Nonsense. I'm sure it'll be a smash."

"So how's the family?" Miss Usagi asked quickly.

"Eh? The family? Err, they're fine! Just fine! Everything is perfect!"

"That's good."

Usagiuma's phone suddenly began to ring. "Oh, what the…please excuse me." Turning away from Miss Usagi and Mr. Garyou, Usagiuma checked the text message. It was from her son. It said:

_Mom_

_Grandma went through your stuff. She took your bank book and some other papers, and she left the house. When she came back, she had a lot of purchases. I didn't know she had your book until she came home. I couldn't stop her. Just thought you should know._

_Nanashi_

"Mrs. Usagiuma?" Miss Usagi gently shook her shoulder. "Mrs. Usagiuma? I'd like to pay for the aspirin."

Usagiuma didn't hear her. The only thing her mind was on at the moment was her mother-in-law.

"Mrs. Usagiuma?"

Her body went numb in parallel to her blurring mind. The phone slipped out of Usagiuma's hand and fell to the floor.

----

"_A woman's place is in the home. She will be the glue that hold the household together!"_

_The mother stood alone on the darkening set, facing the audience in a single spotlight. "We are not meant to take the spotlight, no matter what we do. Even if we have outstanding careers, the man will always get the spotlight in a show. But we are the silent heroes. We are not meant to be known._

"_We will forever be hated by mother-in-laws who prefer girls from a rich family. We will forever be shunned by those who look down on us. No matter how far we go in time, there will always be a glass ceiling. We will always try to break it. Some lucky ones will succeed. Others will sink back down into the darkness, and will be forgotten…"_

----

"MOTHER!"

Carrying her heavy red bag, and still dressed in her white paramedic jacket, Usagiuma burst through the door, nearly breaking it in two as she stomped towards her mother-in-law. The old woman, wearing a faux fur coat, looked up, startled.

"What is the meaning of this?" the old woman cried. "How dare you burst in here, and scare me half to death? Do you know who I—AAGGGGGHHHH!"

Usagiuma tackled the old woman to the ground and grabbed her throat, squeezing the old woman's neck until she began to gasp and choke. "How dare you touch my _money_!"

The old woman tried to speak, but all that came out was a wheeze. Usagiuma felt her fury boil to the top, and squeezed _harder_. "That was my money!" she hissed. "MINE! YOU DO NOT TOUCH!"

The old woman gasped and coughed, and Usagiuma, her own vision blurry, felt a twisted pleasure from it. "Die, you bitch," she snarled. "DIE!"

Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, and another wrestled her hands away from the old woman's neck. Through her blurry vision, she saw her son pull his coughing grandmother to safety, and twisting her head, she saw…

…her husband.

His graying brown was disheveled, as if he had just run a great distance. His eyes were wild and unruly, and every inch of his face was lined with anger of the worst kind.

Her own anger paled against it.

"Get out," he hissed. Usagiuma felt the blood drain from her face.

"Dear, let me explain—OW!"

He had slapped her clear across the face. Usagiuma staggered. "GET OUT!" He screamed. "GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE NOW!"

The volume of his voice shook the house. Usagiuma had no choice.

She ran, with nothing but her red bag, her broken cell phone, and the clothes on her back.

----

Night fell some time ago, but she didn't know when. She had lost all track of time.

_A woman's place._

She walked slowly through the children's park, her foot kicking an occasional pebble now and then. She looked rumpled and untidy from the struggle earlier, but she made no effort to fix her appearance. What did it matter now?

_  
A woman's place is at home._

All she wanted was a happy family, like the ones she saw on sitcoms. The perfect family. A happy one, at least, where all the endings came out good, or reasonably satisfactory.

_No matter what one does, they can't break free…_

Now look at her. Her money was taken. She was kicked out of her own home.

_We are the silent heroes…we are not meant to be known…_

It was all that witch's fault. That witch masquerading as her mother-in-law.

_Even if we have outstanding careers… there will always be a glass ceiling…_

Damn her.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

Damn her stupid son.

The figure skated towards her, his golden rollerblades glinting in the streetlight.

DAMN HER IGNORANT HUSBAND!

_We will always try to break it…_

The figure raised his twisted golden bat, and by instinct, Usagiuma turned her head. She glimpsed the bat and raised heavy red bag in front of her just as the figure swung hard.

Usagiuma shrieked as the bat smashed against her bag and body, and the force of the blow knocked her to the ground.

_Oh my god…I've been attacked by a Shonen Bat…_

The pain paralyzed her for a moment, and she couldn't speak, but she was still conscious…and her body, though smarting like hell, was still in one piece because her bag had taken most of the blow.

Of course, her attacker didn't know that.

The figure stopped, and skated back to her. Usagiuma remained still, but she glimpsed the attacker. It looked like a twelve-year-old boy.

_Why that little punk…_

Anger that she had held down bubbled up again. If she couldn't kill her mother-in-law, this brat would have to do…

The boy bent over her, his hands reaching for her pockets. As soon as he was close enough…Usagiuma grabbed him, threw him to the ground, and proceeded to beat the living pulp out of him.

"You little brat!" she screamed as she kicked him as hard as she could. "How dare you try to attack an innocent, unarmed woman? You bastard! Didn't your mother teach you any manners? You punk! You little son-of-a-bitch! YOU PUNK!"

_Some lucky ones will succeed._

----

"Last night, the last of the Shonen Bats have been captured, but one had been captured by civilian arrest. A local pharmacist, Mikomi Usagiuma, had been attacked by a Shonen Bat in the park. But she had been able to defend herself, and had brought down the juvenile. Her husband, the chief of police, gives his regards…"

Yuki turned off the television. She frowned, and after a moment, said, "I guess that's it then. The Shonen Bats are no more."

"You'll have to go to the police station soon," Koji said. "For voice identification. They might not take you seriously, though…"

Yuki sighed. "I know."

A sharp knock at the door brought them out of their thoughts. Yuki heard Koji walk towards the door and open it. Then she heard him choke.

"Koji, what's wrong?" she asked, but another voice made her own blood curdle.

"Yuki sweetie!" a woman screeched. "Mama's here!"

**Read and Review.**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…in the passage of time, holy scriptures are often twisted and embroidered so that the truth often becomes viewed as a lie. Shadows develop shadows, the ant scurries to uncover the true being upon masses that were manufactured…the reclining dragon dreams of what he can never have, and the rabbit seeks solace in a dream…and then…**


	5. The Thief King of Kusemono

Disclaimer: If you still want to sue me by now, you are a dumbass. I don't own PA.

A/N: (Dives under bed) AGGH! Don't kill me you large, angry readers!

This chapter is another follow-up. I had to use a similar plotline to episode five, "The Holy Warrior" because I really couldn't make the story work in the later chapters otherwise. Plus, I felt the need to tie it more securely with the original series. Forgive me for the redundancy, but I tried to make it as different as I could nonetheless. Here's hoping this is an improvement from the last, disastrous chapter!

Details are deliberate, and are not the results of a mistake, so pay attention. Something here will contradict a previous chapter, but it is deliberate, so pay attention.

Thanks to all reviewers. Please don't use the scary voices anymore…I almost wet my pants last time.

**_Chapter five: The Thief King of Kusemono_**

"Last night, the last of the Shonen Bats have been captured, but one had been captured by civilian arrest. A local pharmacist, Mikomi Usagiuma, had been attacked by a Shonen Bat in the park. But she had been able to defend herself, and had brought down the juvenile. Her husband, the chief of police, gives his regards…"

Arishima turned off the television. He stared at the blank screen for a moment, a strange expression slowly filling his features before his lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Lucky fucker," he said out loud.

The door to his office slowly opened, and another officer, a younger officer, peeked his head inside. "Detective," he said quietly, "you can question the suspects now."

Arishima tilted his head to the side, to see if anyone else was with the officer. The man was alone. "Where's Chief Usagiuma?" Arishima asked, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice.

"He's uh…at a press conference. With his wife." The officer frowned, then looked back to Arishima. "So you coming or what?"

Arishima sighed and stood up, taking a new pack of cigarettes from his desk and slipping it into his pants pocket.

"Lead the way," Arishima said.

He followed the officer past a plain white room that was illuminated by overly bright white lights. The only pieces of furniture were three chairs and a table set in the middle of the room. Though Arishima was used to it, any other person would feel more self-conscious, more insecure, and more paranoid. It was the perfect place for an interrogation.

But first, they had to pick someone to interrogate.

The walls changed. White plaster slowly changed to rusted metal as they approached the prison cells. Arishima's bitter smile grew at the sight there. Almost every cell was filled with young boys, all wearing baseball caps, all wearing sweatshirts of some kind, and all underage. He even saw boys that looked as old as eight.

How the hell was he supposed to find out which ones were bashing the heads of people without a motive?

"How're you dickheads doing?" the officer greeted loudly. Jeering and angry protests were his only response.

"You can't keep us here!" one of the boys shouted. "We didn't do anything!"

"Oh yes!" Arishima said sarcastically. "You all were _wrongfully_ accused! There is a psychotic little nut out there with a baseball cap, rollerblades, and a bat that's hitting people at night, and might actually kill them one day! He is clearly framing you all! Oh wait..." Arishima looked around with a look of feigned shock on his face. "That's what _you_ guys do!"

The room exploded with screams, and some of the boys even tried to grab Arishima through the bars. Arishima stayed out of their reach and glanced at the now nervous looking officer. "So which cell has the prime suspects?" he yelled over the noise. The officer pointed nervously at a cell that contained several boys, the youngest looking at least ten years old, while the oldest looked no older than fourteen.

"There's the primal group!" the officer yelled. "They're the ones that match the description the most! But you might want to start with him!" The officer pointed to a boy wearing shorts, a full sleeved, dark gray sweatshirt, golden kneepads, and a red baseball cap. Unlike his screaming gang members, the boy was sitting calmly by the wall, his eyes clouded and distant.

"A perfect match!" the officer screamed. "Right age, right skates, right cap…even had the right bat!"

Arishima didn't answer. This was his first encounter with the kid, but there was something about the boy that gave him the creeps. This was confirmed when the boy lifted his head and stared straight into Arishima's eyes.

For a moment, he could have sworn the boy's eyes flashed gold.

--

Maybe if he pretended she wasn't here, she would go away. Maybe if he just slammed the door, the thirty-eight year old woman in skimpy clothing and over-dyed red hair would cease to exist and he and Yuki could just go through the day in peace.

Judging from the way she was shoving past him though, and judging from the way she was dropping several bags of luggage all over the floor…she was really here.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…_

"Out of my way, Garyou!" Hitomi Usagi yelled as she made her way to Yuki, who was now standing and was as pale as a bed sheet. Hitomi threw her arms around her daughter and squeezed, kissing Yuki's cheeks with many lip smacking noises. Soon Yuki's white cheeks were covered in thick, red lipstick smudges.

_Damn woman still wears too much makeup_, Koji thought wryly as he kicked the luggage into a corner.

"Oh my baby!" she squealed, causing both him and Yuki to cringe from the noise. "I missed you so much! Being in the U.S. is so boring without you!" Hitomi gave Yuki one more kiss before finally releasing her cringing child. Yuki stepped back from her mother and rubbed her cheeks, unknowingly smearing the red substance all over her face.

"I missed you too," Yuki said quietly. "I've been pretty busy though…you know. Studying. And writing my new book."

"Uh-huh," Hitomi said carelessly as she plopped onto the sofa. "That's nice. And I hope that Garyou has been taking good care of you?" She turned her head to Garyou and gave him a searching look.

_Damn witch_. If she wasn't Yuki's mother, he would have liked to sew her lips together. _Let's see her put on lipstick with that._

"Koji's an excellent caretaker," Yuki replied curtly. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

"Huh." Hitomi gave both Yuki and Koji stares of disbelief before shrugging and grabbing the remote. "Oh well," she said as she flipped on the television, "I'll tell you later, then. But Yuki baby—" she gave Yuki a scornful look "—why aren't you wearing any of the new clothes I sent you? I created so many new styles and so many fashion trends over the year…and what you're wearing is _not_ one of them!"

Koji silently fumed at that statement as Yuki sat down and apologized to her mother. To him, Yuki's plainer, more modest look made her far more attractive than her mother. Hitomi, while middle aged, wore clothes like a pubescent teenager. Had they been any flimsier, he would have gladly called her a whore instead of fashionable. Then there was the fact that she kept cutting and dyeing her hair. He preferred her old black hair; it had once been as long as Yuki's. Now it was a rusty red that was layered so much that it was not even considered _passable_ to him anymore. And the makeup! He couldn't even describe it. It was just too much.

Also, he privately preferred to see Yuki wearing a potato sack than see her wearing any of Hitomi's more "fashionable" clothing. Though the thought of Yuki in a miniskirt was strangely appealing…

"I did like the blue skirt you sent me," Yuki explained to Hitomi. "I like all the long skirts you sent me. I wear them almost every day."

"Don't you ever wear the miniskirts?" Hitomi whined. "You have to make yourself look more attractive to other men, baby! You're never going to get married this way!"

Yuki frowned. "That's your opinion, mama," she said quietly. She reached for her mother's hand as her face became drawn. "D-did you visit papa?"

Hitomi stared at her daughter for a moment. Then she smiled and pulled away from her daughter's hold. "No baby. I didn't. I have no reason to, do I? I mean, it's not like he'll even recognize me. But tell me baby…what about you? Have _you_ visited your father lately?"

Yuki fell silent, but Koji could see by the way she was trembling and by paleness of her skin that she was shaken by this. He had half a mind to go throttle Hitomi…when his cell phone rang.

_Damn phone, damn timing, damn all the negative Karma I built up for myself…_

He checked who it was. Arishima. _Damn him too. _He turned away from Hitomi and Yuki and spoke as quietly as he could without making a further scene. "What the hell do you want?" he hissed.

"Did I call at a bad time?" Arishima said coyly as the other end. "I just wanted your pretty boss to come down to the station for voice identification."

"_Now_?"

"No, when the pope comes to town. Yes, now! We have a guy here who matches the profile perfectly, but we need the victims to I.D. him, and a voice I.D. would start things off nicely."

Koji opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. He thought for a moment as a smirk slowly made its way across his face. "Alright," he said. "I'll bring her over." He hung up and went over to Hitomi and Yuki, who were watching (listening, in Yuki's case) him curiously.

"What happened, Koji?" Yuki asked.

"Detective Arishima called. He wants us at the police station for voice identification."

"Now? Oh dear…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Hitomi stood up between Koji and Yuki, her face full of confusion. "Police station? Voice identification? What's going on?"

"We'll tell you later," Koji said briskly as he grabbed Yuki's walking stick and red bag. He did not notice a slip of crumpled paper falling out of the bag. "We have to go…right now."

"But—" Hitomi began, but was cut off as Koji ushered Yuki out and slammed the door in her face.

Hitomi frowned as she watched them leave. She bent down to pick up the paper and was about to throw it into the garbage when one of the pictures caught her eye. "Well, well, well…isn't this cute?"

--

Arishima slipped the phone into his back pocket before he slowly made his way through the white plastered halls.

The officer was already waiting for him outside the interrogation room. He looked up when he saw Arishima, and quickly opened the door, revealing that the young boy was already inside, sitting on one of the three chairs at the table. He was wearing blue slippers, no doubt provided by the police, and his golden skates were placed on the table. The boy's twisted bat was next to his skates, within his reach, and Arishima privately thought that that was the stupidest move the police force ever made. It was as if they _wanted_ his head bashed in by the kid.

Well…at least his family could sue them for reckless endangerment if such a thing ever occurred.

The officer suddenly nudged Arishima, and handed him a clip board. "We got his info right there," said the officer. "We picked him first because he matched the profile the most, but he's a bit weird. I haven't gotten a peep out of the kid at all. And the way he stares…" The officer frowned and lowered his voice. "Be careful, okay?"

Arishima nodded, and went inside the room as the officer closed the door behind him. The shaggy haired boy looked up as Arishima made his way to the seat opposite him, his eyes carefully observing the detective as he read the clip board.

"So," Arsihima said as he read the board. "You're Isamu Neko. Stays at an orphanage nearby. They send you to school though…you're a sixth grader at Wakahiru Elementary. And a six month member of the Shonen Bat gang." Arishima put the board down and stared at the boy, who was eyeing him carefully. "What?" Arishima asked coyly. "Don't like hearing your own history?"

The boy said nothing. Instead, he smiled. "That," Neko said softly, "is the history of a mortal that no longer exists."

Arishima blinked. "What do you mean? History of a mortal who no longer exists?"

"I abandoned that identity long ago," said Neko, his voice still soft. "It was a pointless life…I sought one with more meaning. And I've found it."

"Oh really?" Arishima asked skeptically. "And just who are you now, boy?"

Neko smiled. "I am…" he whispered, then stood up so suddenly that Arishima nearly jumped out of his skin. The boy posed into a cat-leg fighting stance, and with a determined look, shouted, "I am the Thief King of Kusemono!"

The room fell into silence after the boy's outburst. On his seat, Arishima's eye twitched as his jaw hit the floor.

_Oh fuck…_

--

"How are you feeling, Miss Usagi?"

Yuki smiled, and tightened her hold on Koji's arm as they walked through the crowded streets. "I'm fine, Koji. Really, you don't have to worry about me so much." As they stepped onto the sidewalk, she tensed slightly as she felt a car speed past her from behind.

"Well, at least one of us feels okay," Koji grumbled, his voice full of bitterness. "_I_ feel like crap. I can't believe that woman can just barge her way in like this. Telling us she was coming next week and then just popping up like that out of the blue…"

"She probably wanted to surprise us," Yuki said quietly. "She's spontaneous. You know that."

"That's what they call crazy people, Miss Usagi. I personally wish she would just leave us the hell alone."

"Koji…she _is_ my mother."

"What kind of a mother just dumps her kid for six years, for a career in fashion designing? And let's not forget what she did to the Lieutenant. I swear—"

"Can we talk about this later?" Yuki interrupted, her voice suddenly cold. "I really don't want to discuss this now." She heard Koji sigh in defeat.

"Very well, Miss Usagi."

Neither of them said anything for the next several minutes, and had Yuki been able to see, she would have turned her eyes towards the ground. Darn it, she hated arguing with Koji on this. The man made several good points, but still…

Suddenly, they stopped. Confused, Yuki squeezed Koji's arm to get his attention. "Where are we?" she asked.

"At the police station," Koji said in a strangely tight voice. Yuki didn't say anything more. They quietly went inside.

--

His jacket off and on the floor, Arishima wrung his hair in his hands as Neko stared off into the distance, a slightly demented grin spread far across his features.

What he wouldn't give to slap that smile off of Neko's face.

"Okay, _Thief King_," Arishima said in mock homage. "Enough of these games, eh? Did you, or any other members of your gang attack Hisshino Jakkaru, Migoto Taira, Ken Wamu, or Mikomi Usagiuma? Well, I know _you_ hit Mrs. Usagiuma…"

"Do you think," Neko said suddenly, "that a thief just readily admits his crime? And a Thief King, at that? Even if I did it, or if one of those pathetic peasants boys did it, do you really think I would just open up and say, 'Yes! I attacked those worthless creatures! Please send me to your disgusting dungeons, where I may rot for the rest of eternity!" The boy leaned back and snorted. "You fool."

The boy was beginning to get on his nerves, but Arishima stayed cool and collected. That was one of his highest strong points. Instead, he asked very calmly, "Who are you calling peasants?"

"Those other boys," Neko said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

_Well, at least he's answering something._ "Why are you calling them peasants? If you're part of their group, doesn't that make you a peasant too?"

"I was a peasant before," the boy admitted, "but that was before I was upgraded."

_Okay…now I'm lost again._ "Up…graded?"

"It's a simple process once you get to the first checkpoint," the boy explained. "You can choose to change your class, and I chose to be a thief instead of a peasant. Now, I'm the Thief King."

"Checkpoint? Class?" Arishima stared at the boy in disbelief. What the hell was this kid talking about?

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Arishima looked up as the officer from before came in, with a nervous look on his face. "Er, sorry to barge in like this, detective," he said apologetically. "But you have a Miss Yuki Usagi and a Mr. Koji Garyou here to see you."

The names brought a breath of fresh air to his mind. "Good. Stay here and watch the kid for a minute, will ya?"

The officer nodded, before he fully registered what Arishima had said. Then he panicked. "M-me? But detective…he's…everything's not alright upstairs with him!"

"I'm sure you can handle him," Arishima said cheerfully as he clapped the officer on the back. He walked out and shut the door behind him, leaving the now horrified officer alone with Neko. The boy turned slowly to the officer, and gave him a toothy grin. The officer gulped, and kept his hand close to his gun.

"The things I do for the law," he whispered to himself.

--

Koji looked around the station as he and Yuki waited for Arishima. Almost nothing had changed. The place was still busy and bursting with activity, though not all of the activity there was worth mentioning. The desks of the rookies were overly clean and lacking in files, while the desks of the older officers were covered with papers, documents, and coffee stains. The looks on the newer officers were eager, and full of excitement, while the more experienced ones had more lifeless features, ones that had more pain and understanding.

He wondered if he still looked like that now.

What he found interesting was that no one here seemed to remember him, or even cared to notice his mere presence. The rookies certainly wouldn't know him, but the older ones just gave him a glance, and passed on. It would have been interesting if he saw the Chief again, but he didn't seem to be here at the moment.

_Probably off making a back deal with the yakuza_, Koji thought venomously.

He smiled to himself. Here he was, still making assumptions. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't as if he still had any of the instincts that he once had as a detective. He was washed up.

Arishima emerged from a corner, once again jacketless, and once again looking hassled and restless. Arishima spotted him in an instant and, even from a distance, Koji could see that damn smirk of his as he made his way to him and Yuki.

"Glad you finally made it, Garyou," Arishima greeted as he clapped Koji on the back. He then turned to Yuki and smiled. "And it's always a pleasure to see you, Miss Usagi. I must say, you look as lovely as ever." At the comment, Yuki made a strange noise that seemed to be a cross between a choke and chuckle. Angered, Koji grinded his knuckles painfully into Arishima's head, emitting a cry from the man.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Geez, would you lay off?" Arishima pushed Koji's fist away and held his head in pain, before managing a small smile. "Anyway…I'm glad you're here. That kid was beginning to freak me out."

"What kid?" Koji asked.

"I have a suspect in the interrogation room," Arishima said, "but he's spitting out some weird shit. I'm thinking this kid's nuts."

"Can I talk to him?" Yuki asked. Arishima raised a skeptical brow.

"No offense Miss Usagi, but I can't just let _anyone_ in the interrogation room. I mean, if Koji was still in the force I could let _him_ in, but now…"

"I need to be near him to hear his voice," Yuki argued.

"Granted," Arishima admitted. "But you'll be hearing him from behind a two-way mirror. It's safer this way, believe me."

"I need to be near him," Yuki insisted. "I can't just listen to him behind a mirror. I felt his clothing, I touched his bat. I need to talk to him directly, detective, otherwise I can't make a clear identification on Jakkaru's attacker."

Arishima opened his mouth to argue, but Koji stopped him. "Don't bother," he said. "Miss Usagi is an expert at playing with a person's mind, with all that psychology stuff she listens to. And once she sets her mind on something, it's impossible to dissuade her from it. Trust me, I live with her."

Arishima raised a curious brow at the last statement, but did not comment. Instead, he smirked. "Alright. If you insist. Just pop in and out before the chief comes, okay? I don't want my ass to be handed to Chief Usagiuma on a silver platter."

Koji nodded, and he followed Arishima through the building to a plain white room. The old interrogation room. Arishima opened the door and a young officer immediately burst out of the room, with a nerve wracked look on his face.

"Thank god you're back!" the officer cried to Arishima. "That kid was beginning to scare the daylights out of me! The way he stares…"

"Take a break," Arishima said, and the officer immediately nodded and went off.

"Rookie?" Koji asked wryly.

"Not quite," Arishima answered. "He was here for almost two years."

"Oh my," Yuki whispered.

Koji frowned, and looked in the room to see a red capped boy who was sitting calmly at the table. The boy lifted his head as the three of them walked in, and gave Koji the most demented smile he had ever seen in his life.

It kind of made him glad Yuki was blind.

--

Yuki felt Koji pull her into a room that had a very strange atmosphere around it. She had no idea why, but she felt more insecure here, more vulnerable, and for some reason, more hot.

Good thing she had two strong men with her.

"Hey Neko!" Arishima greeted suddenly. "Having fun scaring off half the force?"

Yuki heard someone chuckle; a boy chuckle. _He must be Neko_, Yuki thought. She heard the chair scrap against the floor slightly, as if someone was getting up, and she felt Koji tighten his grip on her.

"Sit your ass back down, Neko," she heard Arishima yell.

"But it's right and proper for a gentleman to stand up when a lady enters the room," Neko countered. Yuki had difficulty deciding on whether or not he was truly being sincere. "Even grown peasant men know that."

_Peasant men?_

"Peasant men?" Koji asked in confusion.

"Okay kid, I've had enough!" Arishima yelled. "Just what the hell are you talking about? There haven't been any peasants since…I can't remember when!"

Yuki heard the boy sigh, and heard him toss something to Arishima.

"What is it?" Koji asked.

"It's…a book," Arishima answered slowly. "No wait…white mages…holy warriors? It's a video game manual from over forty years ago."

--

As Arishima puzzled over the book, Koji leaned towards Yuki and asked quietly, "So Miss Usagi…is this the one?"

"Hm?"

"Is this the nut that attacked Jakkaru?"

Yuki frowned. "Well…although his voice is that of a young boy's…this isn't the one."

"Then can we go, Miss Usagi? I really don't want to stay here any longer than I have to."

"But—"

A slam on the table startled the two into silence. With his hand pressed on top of the book, Arishima stood over the boy, his face full of frustration and realization. "Are you telling me," Arishima said in a strangely calm voice, "that you think you're in this…medieval virtual reality world? That you think you're actually a character from this game?"

The boy, Neko, scoffed. "You ignorant fools may call it a game. But I've discovered that it is simply another world that humans can only dream of. It is the world where mortals _become_ what they really are…though they may not like what they become."

"Oh…god." Arishima sank into a chair and buried his head in his hands. "This kid can't tell fantasy from reality. What the hell am I supposed to tell the Chief?"

"That the nut's a nut," Koji said unsympathetically. "Well, I'm off. Miss Usagi said that the kid isn't Jakkaru's attacker, but the way. Have a good time with the case."

"Koji!" Yuki pinched him on the arm and, ignoring his pained grunt, pulled away from him. "We can't just abandon him like this! You were on the police force. Can't you help?"

"B-but Miss Usagi! I quit! Don't you remember?"

Yuki frowned, then felt her way over to the last empty seat at the table, the one right next to Neko. Arishima lifted his head from his hands when she sat, and the boy stared at her, confused, as she smiled at him and took his hand.

"Hello," she said softly. "I don't believe we've been introduced properly. I'm Yuki."

Neko blinked, unsure of whether or not to trust her. Then he smiled. "Thief King," he replied, and squeezed her hand.

"You mean Isamu Neko," Arishima corrected, before turning to Yuki. "Miss Usagi, what are you doing? Witnesses shouldn't talk to the victims like this."

"I'm not a witness to _this_ boy, detective," Yuki answered promptly. "And furthermore, I am a psychiatrist."

"In training," Koji added to himself.

"I want to speak to the boy," Yuki continued. "Even if he didn't attack Hisshino, he may know who did."

"Miss Usagi," Koji interrupted, "the kid's nuts. I don't think he can say anything credible, and frankly I don't really trust him."

Yuki's lips thinned. "All the more reason to try to understand him," Yuki said, with a note of finality in her voice. "Do not argue with me."

Arishima tried to open his mouth, but a look at Yuki's hardened face made him change his mind. "Oh, fine. Remember, if the Chief comes…"

"Relax. I won't get you in trouble." Yuki turned to Neko and smiled. "So…Thief King. Could you tell me a little about yourself?"

Neko, who had been watching her defend him with interest, looked startled at the question. "I don't know," he said. "My journey might be compromised…"

"Again with the crazy talk," Koji muttered. Yuki clenched her hands, but said nothing.

"I promise, we are only doing this to help," she assured him. "Please...trust us."

Neko looked down and bit his lip, deciding. Then he looked up and nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll tell you my journey."

--

Koji couldn't believe it.

The world around him suddenly changed. The cold tiles became soft, dusty earth. The room melted away, and the ceiling vanished, revealing an orange-yellow sky and a sun that was sinking halfway into the horizon. The trees around him were bare and leafless, casting eerie shadows across the landscape. Around him, there were several mud and grass huts, with people wearing garments that seemed more proper back in the Middle Ages.

He blinked several times, but the scene did not go away. "What the hell happened?" he asked, pinching himself on the cheek, in case he was asleep. "Where the fuck are we?"

"I think we're in the kid's mind," a voice said behind him, and Koji turned to see Arishima, wearing a green tunic, lighter green tights, light yellow boots, and brown gloves. On his head was a strange, feathered cap, and on his face was an embarrassed smile. "How do I look?" he asked.

"Like a fag," Koji answered, smirking at Arishima's angered reaction. "What the hell are you wearing?"

"I'm supposed to be a scout," Arishima grumbled. "It's here in this book." He held up the game manual from earlier, then sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "You should see what your boss chose."

"What…" Koji began, and then stopped when his eyes fell on Yuki. As she stood next to one of the barren trees, he could see that she was wearing a white dress that covered her body from head to toe, and had her hair up in a tight bun. Her shades were gone, and her bright blue eyes were revealed for the entire world to see. In her hands was a long, white staff.

"I think she's a white mage," Arishima said as he flipped through the book. "Such a shame…the black mages have much better outfits. More revealing too…hey! Where're you going?"

Koji didn't say a word as he ran towards Yuki, who turned her head towards him as he approached. "Isn't this exciting?" she asked, a smile spreading across her features. "To understand his mind, we must enter it, and face his demons with him!" Yuki grasped his arm in delight, but stopped and felt his clothing, which had miraculously remained a pair of jeans and a gray polo shirt. "Koji…why haven't you changed?"

"I'm supposed to change?"

"Well…it's good to blend in…"

"Ah! White Mage! You have arrived!" Koji looked up to see Neko leap down from a branch above them, landing gracefully on his feet. Koji took a quick look; the boy was now completely donned in black and gold garments. He was wearing a golden shirt under a black tunic, with black baggy pants along with golden boots. He wore a sword, still in its sheath, behind him like a bag, and on his head were two black bandannas, one covering his shaggy hair, while the other covered his nose and mouth, revealing only his eyes.

In all honesty, the kid looked more like a second rate ninja than a thief.

"It is a pleasure to have you accompany me in my journey," Neko said as he took Yuki's hand. He lowered the bottom half of his bandanna and kissed it, as Koji began to fume.

"It's no problem," Yuki said, a blush spreading across her face in embarrassment. "I only wish to understand you." Neko smiled, then turned to Koji , his face hardening.

"Who are you?" Neko asked. "You don't belong here."

"I'm the guardian of the White Mage," Koji said flatly. "Make another move on her, and I'll kick your little ass, _Thief King_."

"Koji!" Yuki cried. "Be polite!"

"Yeah Garyou, be polite," Arishima agreed as he made his way towards them. "Wouldn't want to sound like a jealous boyfriend, now would we?"

"…Shut up."

Neko looked at Arishima and frowned. "You're a royal scout," he said slowly.

Arishima looked at his clothing and shrugged. "Yeah? What of it?"

Neko scoffed. "Only the disillusioned become royal scouts," he said haughtily. "Fools who only wish to lick the heels of those in power, so that they too may one day gain power…"

Now it was Arishima's turn to fume, though his face didn't turn as red as Koji's. "Why you little—"

"So Thief King," Yuki interrupted quickly, "what is your mission here?"

Looking away from the enraged Arishima and Koji, Neko turned to Yuki with a smile. "My mission is to stop the Holy Warrior."

--

"So…ignoring the woman and two grown, though stupid gentlemen…is that the one who attacked you?"

The officer stared nervously at Jakkaru. With his blue cap and black rollerblades on, the boy stared hard at Neko. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I always though he was strange, but he doesn't seem the type to hit for no reason. And I really didn't get a good look at the attacker's face. But then again, the gang always did think Neko would snap one day…"

--

Arishima quickly scanned through the pages of the manual, and stopped when he came to a rather majestic-looking picture of a young knight in blue, yellow, and red armor. On his feet were golden boots, in his hands was a large, golden sword. On the bottom, the words, "Holy Warrior" stuck out in large, bold print.

"Isn't this the hero of the story?" Arishima asked. "Why are you going to stop him?"

"Because Neko's a delusional, psychotic nut?" Koji said to himself.

"He has become tainted," Neko said quietly. He frowned, then shook his head. "No. He has _always_ been tainted."

"So much for the holy part," Koji muttered.

"It wasn't entirely his fault," Neko explained. "The evil force, Gouma, had merged with him unknowingly at the start of his journey. He knows not what he does…"

Yuki reached for Arishima. "Gouma?"

"He's the ultimate evil of the game," Arishima said, flipping through the book. "He's this formless, shapeless pus that takes over weak people's minds and then transforms them into hideous, disgusting beasts. Nice guy, really."

"He is _not_ a nice guy," Neko said angrily. "He must be destroyed, and the Holy Warrior along with him. They are now one and the same. They must be destroyed!"

"You said that already," Koji snapped. "Can you please just move along and tell us what happened to you over the last two weeks?"

Neko didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly took out the long golden sword from behind his back, and threw it like a javelin right at Koji. Koji screamed and ducked, only to hear a squish, and a choking sound coming from behind him. He looked up, and saw one of the ugliest creatures he had ever laid eyes on. It looked like a humanoid cat, with glowing red eyes and a jaw full of sharp, pointed teeth, which had been inches away from his head. But instead, it fell backwards on the ground, the arms and legs falling limp.

The sword stuck out of the creature's chest, and the area around the wound began to turn a sickly green.

"Cretins," Neko said gravely. He went over to the creature and pulled out the sword, wiping the green ooze off with his tunic. "I hate these things. They pop out when you least expect it, in different forms. Be careful."

"Where did you get that sword?" Arishima asked, his eyes full of awe. "I didn't think that thieves carry weapons like this."

"There's a lot that scouts don't know," Neko said rudely. "But if you must, I got this when I spied on the shadows."

"Shadows?" Yuki asked.

Neko gazed at her kindly. "A white mage wouldn't know of such atrocities," he explained. "The shadows are what the Holy Warrior left behind after every one of his dastardly deeds. The shadows are like the Holy Warrior in appearance, and they have some, though not all, of his power. I was told by the Ancient Master to spy on them, in case the Holy Warrior ever returned for them. He never did…up until this point."

--

"What do you think?" the officer asked Migoto. She stared dully at the boy, and her hand slowly crept to her stomach.

"I don't know," she said listlessly. "I didn't see his face."

"Please try," the officer insisted. "Look at him carefully. Does he look a little familiar to you?"

"Maybe…he kind of looks similar…oh, I don't know!" she cried, and dissolved into tears. "I don't want to remember. I want to go home! I want to go home!"

--

"I know what you must be thinking Scout, Guardian. You two think that I did it."

As they walked through the dusty landscape, Neko turned towards Arishima and Koji, who held Yuki closely to him. Neko smirked and looked ahead. "I didn't attack the Jackal Bandit, nor did I attack the Red Snapper Sorceress. I wouldn't waste my time with them."

Koji and Arishima stared at each other in confusion before Yuki asked, "You mean Hisshino Jakkaru, and Migoto Taira?"

"You are correct, White Mage, though I do not like to use the Earth names. I assure you, I did not attack them."

"But you _did_ attack Mikomi Usagiuma," Arishima said.

Neko chuckled. "You say, I say…does it really matter?" Neko stopped suddenly. "This is it," he whispered.

"What's it?" Yuki asked curiously.

Neko turned to the three with a grin. "This is where my journey begins."

Koji stared at the boy blankly before he felt the ground tremble slightly from under him. He looked down and saw the ground begin to crack under their feet. "Oh shit," he whispered, and jumped out of the way just as a giant worm with spikes all over its body emerged, its slimy mouth open for the whole world to see. Koji felt sick; it looked like the worm could swallow all three of them and still have room for dessert.

The worm stared at him for a moment, before letting out a mighty bellow. Then, before he knew it, the spikes from the monster's body were shooting out like bullets towards him. Koji shrieked and shrank back, just as a spike buried itself deep into the ground, just below his crotch.

_That…was too fucking close!_

He then realized that Yuki and Arishima were gone. Oh gods, had the worm eaten them?

"Are you okay, Koji?" Yuki shouted from above him. Koji looked up and saw Yuki levitating in the air, encased in a white bubble. Behind him, he saw Arishima doing back flips that he would never have been able to do in reality.

"It pays to be a scout!" Arishima yelled as he dodged several attacks from the worm.

_At least I don't look stupid_, Koji thought.

Neko had his golden sword out, along with a small round ball. "Come and get me!" he yelled, diverting the creature's attention away from Koji, Yuki and Arishima. The worm turned to Neko, and began to charge towards him, mouth open wide. Neko threw the round ball to the ground just before the worm reached him, obscuring him from view. The worm stopped and looked around, unable to find him.

"What's happening?" Yuki cried as she descended back to the ground. "What's going on?"

"A giant worm is trying to eat the psycho," Koji said bluntly. He turned to Arishima, who had run back to them. "What the hell is going on? Where did Neko go?"

"He just used a screen ball," Arishima said, reading from the manual. "It shields the user from the enemy's view for a while. Nifty for small bosses."

"HAH!" Neko sliced off the lower half of the worm, resulting in the creature screaming aloud in pain. Neko jumped onto its back and majestically stabbed the creature with an over-the-head blow. The creature crashed to the ground, and Neko jumped down as Yuki, Koji, and Arishima made their way towards him.

"Not bad," Arishima said.

Neko scoffed as the creature's body vanished. In its place, a large amount of golden coins appeared, which Neko readily scooped up.

--

"That's him," Wamu said with certainty. "That's the bastard who attacked me."

"Both times?" the officer asked.

"Yes, both times! It was the same kid, with the same cap, skates, and bat! Who else could it be? His evil twin brother?"

--

"So you _did_ attack Wamu," Yuki said.

Koji fumed silently as Yuki and Neko walked ahead, chatting quietly to themselves. What kind of caretaker was he to Yuki? Throughout this mind trip, he had been absolutely useless. And that damn boy was taking up too much of Yuki's time, in his opinion…

"Plague Worms are a menace to entire nations," Neko explained. "I had to stop it." Taking Yuki's hand, Neko led her to a grand castle, which had, for some reason, an outdoor mechanical glass elevator near its entrance. Yuki and Neko stopped in front of the elevator, where the boy then led her inside the contraption.

"Are we going on a ride?" Yuki asked as she felt the glass walls.

"Partly," Neko replied. "The enemy I seek is in the highest room of the tallest tower. I had to use a secret cheat to get the elevator here, but it was worth it. If we go through the main entrance, we'll just waste our time fighting low level monsters, and that'll chip off valuable health."

"I see," Yuki said slowly. Koji didn't know how she understood this; she had never played a video game in her life. Suddenly, the elevator door began to close…while he and Arishima were still outside.

_That little bastard!_

"Hey!" Koji and Arishima ran as fast as they could towards the closing doors. Arishima suddenly performed a super leap, closing the distance between him and the elevator and squeezing himself in just as the doors closed. "Arishima!" Koji screamed. "What about me?"

"Walk!" Arishima yelled back as the elevator began to ascend.

Koji swore and ran inside the castle, where two lizard-like creatures awaited him.

_GODDAMMIT!_

--

"May I ask you something, Thief King?" Yuki asked after a moment of silent meditation. The boy, who had been holding her hand all this time, squeezed it as a "yes".

_You're letting him get too attached to you_, a voice whispered nastily. Yuki ignored it.

"It's a fact that you attacked Ken Wamu and Mikomi Usagiuma," she said. "But then who attacked Hisshino Jakkaru and Migoto Taira?"

She waited for his response, but she received none. It was then she noticed that his hand had tightened around hers.

_Don't let him get attached! It will only lead to trouble!_

"The Jackal Bandit and the Red Snapper Sorceress were victims of the Holy Warrior," Neko said in a slightly trembling voice. "The dark forces in the game, the ones that Gouma possesses or targets, have a faint red glow around them. Normal humans, and those without magic, can't see this glow. But the Holy Warrior was able to see it, and I can too. Through the Ancient Master."

Yuki paused as she let his answer sink in. She didn't notice that near them, Koji was frantically scrambling up several flights of stairs as he tried to fight off several monsters and keep up with the elevator at the same time.

"So the Holy Warrior is real," Arishima said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Neko replied solemnly. "And I must destroy him."

"Is he one of those peasant boys?" Arishima pressed. "The shadows of this Holy Warrior?"

"That is what the Ancient Master wanted me to find out," Neko said. "But I never found him."

The elevator stopped, and the sound of the doors opening made Neko rise. "Come," he said, pulling Yuki along by the hand. "We have arrived."

--

His clothes torn, his body bruised, and his spirit nearly shattered, Koji panted as he collapsed on the top floor, as Yuki, Arishima, and Neko came in, perfectly unscathed.

"I see you walked," Arishima said cheerfully. Koji glared at him for a moment before sighing and collapsing again. It took too much effort to speak.

"Through there," Neko said quietly as he pointed to two grand double doors, "I will meet my maker. This is the enemy that I couldn't defeat. I was foolish. Gouma's power over her was too strong. I should have built up more experience…"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and a blonde woman (startlingly resembling Mikomi Usagiuma) came out, smiling. "Hello! What can I do for you all?"

Koji (now standing) and Arishima exchanged looks. "This is the one you couldn't beat?" Arishima asked in disbelief. He smirked and tried to walk up to the woman, but Neko's arm suddenly held him back.

"Watch," Neko said as he drew out a small knife. Without warning, he hurled it at the woman, who leaped back with amazing agility, hissing angrily at Neko with fangs bared.

Where the hell did fangs come from?

Arishima and Koji watched in amazement as the woman changed in front of them; her feminine form twisted and grew, curves became hulking muscle as she evolved into a creature with dark fur, muscles, and long, unattractive ears.

She looked like a humanoid donkey.

"Long live Gouma!" the creature cried. "Long live the Holy Warrior!"

"Silence!" Neko cried as he brandished his sword. "No agent of darkness shall live as long as the Thief King is around! Now prepare to die!"

"Perhaps we should move away from the destructive donkey creature," Koji said quietly as he pushed Yuki and Arishima away.

"Such strong words for such a weak human," the creature hissed. "You'll regret them as I rip out your throat!"

Neko leaped into the sky and hurled several screen balls around himself. He snuck around the creature and tried to attack from behind, but the donkey swirled around and struck Neko across the face, sending him flying into the wall.

"That's gonna leave a mark," Arishima commented, observing the large crater Neko left on the wall.

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Yuki pleaded.

"The psycho's losing," Koji answered.

"Foolish boy!" the creature cried. "Your little smoke balls won't affect me!"

"Damn," Neko muttered. He gritted his teeth, then charged towards the creature, screaming. "I won't let you beat me!" he shrieked. He leaped into the air, and sliced right through the creature's middle. Blood spurted out everywhere from the wound, and for a moment, the creature fell to its knees. Neko, thinking he'd won, lowered his weapon.

Mistake.

The creature suddenly smirked, and with one swift motion, kicked Neko to the wall. Koji and Arishima stared in horror as the wound on the creature shrank and vanished, as if it was never there. The creature then charged at Neko, pummeling him with a barrage of speedy kicks. With one final high kick to the jaw, Neko fell to the ground, defeated.

The creature stared at him for a moment, before changing back to its smiling, human form. "Thank you for coming," the woman said cheerfully to Yuki, Koji, and Arishima. "Please come back, and try again." The woman walked back through the double doors, which closed with a might _creeeeaaak!_

Yuki, Koji, and Arishima stared after the creature for a moment, not entirely sure what had happened. Then they stared at the bloody, bruised form of Neko.

No doubt about it…he had definitely lost.

--

"Where is the Holy Warrior?" Arishima asked.

Koji blinked. They were now back at the interrogation room.

"I don't know," Neko moaned, his head pressed against the table. "I looked for him, I swear…I haven't found him." He looked up, with an insane look on his face. "I have to start over. From the last checkpoint. I need to build up more experience so that I can defeat the Delusional Black Mage. Please…you must let me go back…"

"You're not going anywhere," Arishima said solemnly. He stood up and turned to Yuki and Koji. "Thanks, you two. I never would have gotten this far without your help. Though you were more of a third wheel than a help, Garyou…what happened to you?"

Koji said nothing. Suddenly, the door to the interrogation burst open, and the officer from earlier rushed in, his face red and panic stricken. "You guys have to get out now!" he yelled to Yuki and Koji. "The Chief's coming!"

"Oh shit." Arishima stood up and half ushered, half dragged Yuki and Koji out of the room. "Get out before he sees you, Garyou. He still hasn't forgotten, even now…"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Koji yelled as Arishima shut the door to the interrogation room behind them. "Is it safe to just leave the kid like that?"

"He's fine," Arishima said briskly. "Now hurry and go."

Yuki and Koji slipped out of sight just as a middle-aged man with already gray hair came to the interrogation room. He looked at Arishima, who had a nervous grin on his face. "Hey Chief!" he greeted. "What's up?"

"Have you made the suspect confess yet?" the man asked.

"Yes," Arishima said, and a smile spread across the man's features. "And no." The smile vanished.

"What do you mean, yes and no?"

"He only attacked two of the four victims, sir. I think that the first two were attacked by another boy."

The man stared at Arishima for a moment, before his face hardened. "Detective, an officer who worked with you told me the all the victims had come in today to I.D. their attacker, and that every one of them singled out this boy—" he pointed to Neko "—as their attacker."

"Yuki Usagi disagreed."

The Chief froze for a moment. Then he grimaced. "Usagi? I remember her. Gisei's girl. Isn't she blind?"

"She can hear really well," Arishima argued quietly. "She said that the voice didn't match the first attacker."

The Chief frowned, then forced a smile. "Really? Very well then. Find the second suspect."

"That's what I intend to do, Chief."

The Chief's smile became even more forced. "Carry on then."

--

"Koji?"

"Hm?"

"Why didn't you join us when we explored Neko's mind?"

Yuki paused and waited for Koji's response. She got none. "Koji?"

"I'm not a detective anymore, Miss Usagi. I don't want to try to understand criminals anymore. I don't want to look for evidence that says this person might be a killer, or that this person did this, and that, and that. I don't want to put people in jail anymore, Miss Usagi."

"But why not?" Yuki asked, squeezing his arm.

"Because no matter what you do, in the end, the beliefs you started with becomes twisted and corrupted." She felt Koji stop walking, and she felt him suddenly grip her shoulders. "I don't want to care about them anymore, Miss Usagi. I just want to focus on taking care of _you_."

Yuki had no idea on how to respond to that.

Neither of them said anything more as they returned to their apartment. When they got inside, they found Hitomi inside, chatting happily on her cell phone.

"_You're never gonna believe this Matt_," she said in English. "_I found a new mascot for our company. Oh, it's so cute that I could just squeeze it if it was real! Yes, it's even cuter than that stupid kitten…oh. Hold on. My kid's home._"

Yuki heard her mother shut off her phone, and stand up. "Oh baby, you are such a little genius!" Hitomi squealed. "This was just what I was looking for. This puppy's the perfect choice for our company logo!"

"Puppy?" Yuki asked, confused. "What puppy?"

"The one you drew!" Hitomi said, pressing a folded, crumpled paper into her hand. "The one on this paper!"

"_Maromi_?" Yuki cried. "Mama, you can't use Maromi! For one thing, he doesn't even belong to me! He belongs to Tsukiko Sagi, and furthermore—"

"Well if he belongs to someone else, I can just buy him off. I'll have her people call my people and then we can form a contract of some sort. Well, I'm off baby! Much to do and so little time! I'll be back next afternoon! Garyou, take good care of her! Kiss-kiss!"

Yuki felt Hitomi kiss her on the cheek before she heard the sound of shoes being put on, and the door opening and closing.

"Uh. I can't believe you two are related." She felt Koji put an arm that she guessed was supposed to be reassuring. "Don't think too much on her, Miss Usagi. She'll be gone in a few days, like always."

Yuki remained silent. She slipped out of Koji's arm and felt her way to her room. She shut the door, undressed, and slipped silently into her bed, disappearing under the white sheets.

Before she fell asleep, however, she made one change. In her arms, she held the little misshapen doll of Maromi close to her body.

She had never slept with a doll in her arms before. It kind of felt…comforting.

--

Arishima looked over the case again. And again. And again.

There seemed to be no connection. There seemed to be no pattern. There seemed to be no links with these victims, other than the fact that they were all clubbed by a boy (now boys) in caps, skates, and a twisted golden bat.

Maybe he should just charge the whole gang and be done with it.

The officer from earlier came into his office. The younger man looked as tired as he was, which was something. "What do you want?" Arishima asked, glancing back at the case files.

"I got something," the man said. "One of the bat freaks gave out a name for the first two attackers."

Arishima looked up, shocked. "Really? Who?"

"It's a ten year old, but he matches the description pretty well."

"And the name is…"

"His name is Youji Tori."

--

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…the path of salvation comes not without its price, and to those who must pay, the cost is great. The child of the donkey breaks a scared rule of nature, and to love what he loves calls for a life of an exile, an outcast, a sad result of the fearful…and then…**

**How do the characters appear in your mind? I purposely left the character description vague so that readers can piece together their own image based on the character's personalities. So how does Yuki appear in your mind? Koji? Arishima? The episodic characters? If you can, please take the time to comment on one or two characters. I want to see if you guys see them the way I do, since the story, like the show, is hugely character driven.**


	6. Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Yes, I'm that poor.

A/N: God, this chapter sucks. Sorry about that, folks.

However, the fact that I had to rewrite this section three times means that something was _really_ wrong with it. Anyway, this chapter contains mature issues. Still debating whether or not to increase rating for future chapters…but here there is suggestive material…and subjects of controversy. Please, if you find the content offensive, stop reading and simply do not review.

I promise chapter seven will be better.

Once again…details are deliberate. Hopefully, this chapter and the next will make you guys rethink your opinions on Yuki, Koji, and Arishima.

_When You Wish Upon a Star_ is not mine. I think it belongs to Disney. Which is also not mine. So don't sue.

Oh…and thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter six: Wish_**

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you…"

At nine o'clock, near the back door of a fast food restaurant, a young woman wearing tight clothing and heavy makeup stood half-hidden in the shadows, singing softly as she teetered back and forth on red stiletto heels. Her tight pink jeans stretched slightly from her movements as she checked her wristwatch, and let out an audible sigh. Clutching her bulging yellow bag, she craned her neck out in the streetlight, and looked left and right for her tardy date.

He was nowhere in sight.

Damn bastard.

Sighing again, she went into the restaurant, too downtrodden to notice the strange looks she was getting from the people inside.

She marched straight into the women's restroom. There, she locked herself in a stall and reached into her bag, taking out a small jar of cold cream. Scooping the concoction into her hand, she slathered the cream all over her face, then wiped off the mess with some tissue.

At once, the woman's face transformed. Green eye shadow and heavy mascara disappeared, revealing a pair of tired, weary brown eyes. Thickly applied lipstick was wiped off, and what were left were thin, childish lips. The woman tied up her long brown hair into a ponytail, but at this point, it was clear that the woman was not a woman.

Nanashi Usagiuma changed out of the skimpy outfit, and slipped into a pair of shorts and a large white shirt. He reluctantly took off the stilettos, and wore instead a pair of old sneakers. His other clothes, he stuffed into the yellow bag.

In male clothing, he felt vulnerable. No, that wasn't it. He felt disgusting. He never felt more disgusted in his life.

He stepped out of the bathroom, which was thankfully empty, and walked out of the fast food restaurant. This time, no one noticed him. Why would they? He looked _normal_ again.

He took the bus back home. Another bus fare wasted. Another night of hoping that he'd finally found the man who'd understand him. Nanashi bit his lip and forced back the stinging tears. Another night of dashed dreams.

He walked home the rest of the way. He hated going home alone. He had done that all his life and he knew; going home alone sucked. It sucked even more because of his (mostly) right-wing family. If they ever found out about him…thankfully, his mother and father were out for the night; his mother still had more interviews as the captor of the rouge Shonen Bat member, and his father wanted to share as much limelight as possible. Funny, when a few days ago his father had been ready to throw his mother out of the house.

But then again, that was the type of man his father was. Cheating, no good bastard.

He opened the front door almost soundlessly, praying that his grandmother was still asleep. The glare of the television illuminated the room, but the loud snores emitted by his grandmother told him that she was still asleep. Sighing in relief, he crept upstairs and snuck silently into his room, carefully hiding his yellow bag under a bundle of clothing in his closet. He then sat at his desk and turned on his computer, just as he heard his grandmother moaning loudly downstairs. Soon she would come up to check on him, and wish him goodnight.

Well, even if he had been stood up for the umpteenth time…at least his secret was still safe.

He checked his mail. Wolf had sent him a message saying that he saw him, and didn't think he was his type. Figures.

Well, at least he didn't beat him.

But another "friend," one called Vulture, had e-mailed him four times…

----

A pair of light yellow skates, an orange cap, and a wooden bat was all piled on the table carelessly. Arishima stared hard at the ten-year-old boy in front of him, who was trembling slightly and was trying to do hid best to keep their eyes from meeting.

That was either a sign of guilt, or the beginning of a nervous breakdown. And the last thing Arishima wanted was another psychotic kid.

"Morning," Arishima said quietly. "Youji Tori. You once lived at the same orphanage that Neko went to, am I correct? But they reported you missing about a year ago. That's when you joined the Shonen Bat gang, right?"

The boy bit his lip before he nodded. If anything, he looked even more nervous.

"Your fellow members say that you hit Hisshino Jakkaru," Arishima continued, "on account that you were the only one who knew where he was at the time. Correct?"

"Y-yes."

Arishima noticed that the boy's eye twitched upon answering, but said nothing about it. "You also knew that Migoto Taira liked to get involved with much of Jakkaru's life, as his tutor…and girlfriend. So you attacked her too. Right?"

Tori didn't answer.

"Am I right?" Arishima pressed.

The boy looked up for a moment, his lip trembling slightly, before finally nodding. "Yes, it's true," he said in a quivering voice. "I did it; I did it all, okay? I hit Jakkaru, and I hit Migoto Taira. I'm guilty, okay? Can we just finish this already?" Tori turned his gaze back to the ground and twisted his hands in his lap.

"Uh…yeah…"

"Say," Tori asked suddenly. "Who's the White Mage?"

Arishima blinked. "Who?"

"The White Mage. Neko keeps asking to see a White Mage."

Arishima sighed. "I don't care. That kid's nuts. I'll put him in a separate cell if he keeps bothering you."

"Okay." Tori stood up as the officer came in and led him away. After the left, Arishima closed the door behind them.

That was it. Tori had confessed. The case was solved. But for some reason…that felt too easy.

That felt _way_ too easy.

Chief Usagiuma thought that too. He told Arishima to just shut up, write the report, and close the case.

----

So…warm. So…soft. Was that the smell of dewy grass? And flowers. Fresh flowers. Oh! Was that bright light? How was it that she could see bright light? Someone was calling her, telling her that everything would be okay. Okay? No…this…this wasn't real…

Yuki jerked herself out of sleep. The brightness was gone, even though her eyes were wide open, and she was enshrouded in darkness once again. A pang of hurt went through her heart. It was amazing what the human mind could allow itself to believe, and it was amazing what sorts of images and delusions mere hope itself could create. Not since she was a child had she dared to think…

It took her a moment to realize that she was clutching the Maromi doll.

_Toys are often used by children for recreation, and other times for comfort during hard or depressing times…much like an emotional crutch, of some sort._

She regretted writing that report. Did that mean she was still a child at heart?

"Miss Usagi?" She heard the door open slightly. She could almost imagine Koji poking his head in. "Good morning," she heard him say. "Are you alright, Miss Usagi? I thought you'd be up by now."

Yuki placed the doll against her pillow and stepped out of bed, bending over to smooth out the bed sheets. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I guess I was really tired yesterday. With mama back, and going through that interrogation..."

"Which we will never speak of, again," Koji added as he took her hand. "Go wash up Miss Usagi. We have an appointment to keep."

"What appointment?" Yuki asked. She heard Koji chuckle as he led her to the bathroom. She nearly winced as her feet hit cold tile.

"I did some searching on Hirukawa," Koji explained as she picked up her toothbrush. "I know he's dead and all, but I found out that his daughter is still alive. And married."

Yuki choked on her toothpaste. She coughed and spat and wiped her lips as Koji chuckled lightly next to her. "S-she's—ack! She's alive?"

"She should be around sixty by now, but yeah. She's alive and kicking."

"Oh Koji! You're the best! I had no idea what I was going to do about Hirukawa, but you…I…oh!" Yuki wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed, unaware of his body suddenly tensing. "Thank you so much."

Koji didn't respond. Yuki continued to hug him, until she felt his own arms encircle her lower waist. "It's my job to keep you happy, isn't it?" he asked in a low voice. Yuki smiled and pulled away.

"When are we meeting her?" she asked. "_Where_ are we meeting her?"

"We're meeting her at her place at noon," Koji said, his voice slightly more gruff than before. "It'll be a long cab ride, because it's practically at the other side of town, but I know that place pretty well. Don't worry."

"It doesn't matter to me," Yuki said excitedly. "Finally, I can finish the chapter, and just in time, too! That deadline is getting closer…"

"Oh, don't forget to take an umbrella. It's going to rain."

----

_I want to meet you._

Nanashi stared at the screen. Vulture had e-mailed him all night, asking for a date, but Nanashi had been hesitant. First off all, he had been reluctant since Wolf had stood him up just last night. Second of all, Vulture though that he, Nanashi, was actually a woman called Eve.

Well, on the internet, one could become what they always wanted to be, right? And he had chosen to become Eve. No one said that Vulture _had_ to believe that he was Eve. Besides, what kind of a name was Vulture, anyway? Obviously made up.

Still, Vulture could get pissed off that "Eve" was actually Nanashi. Nanashi gulped nervously and bent over the keyboard, slowly typing out a message.

**I'm not what you're expecting. If we meet, you promise you won't hurt me?**

Nanashi waited, and a message popped up.

_What do you mean? You don't have brown hair? You don't have satin white skin?_

**No, I have that.**

_Then what the fuck are you so worried about? Anyway, I'm in love with your wonderful use of words. Even if you're dead ugly, I'll still love you._

Nanashi felt his heart flutter, and he quickly typed out a message.

**When can we meet?**

----

Koji knew that people in the world today still had homemade shrines for something, or someone, they respected. He also knew that in several cases, homemade shrines dedicated to close family members were never a good thing.

Maybe that was why Taeko Hirukawa scared him so much. Her whole damn house was a shrine.

And darn it, she _looked_ normal at first. He and Yuki had arrived on time as agreed. Taeko had met them at the door, and had shyly let them in. But from the moment he stepped foot inside her home, he had been hit with waves of high tension and nervousness. It was then he noticed that there were a lot of pictures. All of one man. All over the room. Correction, all over the _rooms_.

He also noticed an officer's uniform on a mannequin in the corner of the room. The mannequin looked roughed up, as if someone had been…

He didn't want to go there.

Taeko had noticed him staring, and had calmly explained that the pictures were of her poor dead father.

"Must be a great man if his pictures are everywhere," Koji said, a little more loudly than intended. Taeko smiled.

"He was a wonderful person, and an even better father," she said softly. "When I was little, he was always there for me, and he always thought of me first. He worked really hard when I was seventeen, to get us a dream house so that I could have my own room…" She faltered off, turning her gaze to the floor.

"You…must have loved him," Yuki said quietly. "But Miss Hirukawa…did your father die due to a…street assault?"

Taeko looked up, her eyes wide with horror. "No! He died in a car accident. It was a hit-and-run…"

At that statement Yuki's body became stiff, and she clutched her red bag tightly. Her next words came out in a choked whisper. "I'm sorry."

Taeko calmed down. "It's alright. It happens. But he _was_ involved in a street assault, now that I think about it…I think he was attacked by a crazy little boy who was skating around, hitting people."

"He was a victim of Lil' Slugger," Koji said.

"Is that what they called him? I thought Lil' Slugger was just a myth? Oh well. My father managed to catch the boy, thank goodness, and sent him off to jail. At least, that's what he told me. I can't really remember what happened back then…" Taeko stopped in front of a crooked picture, and straightened it.

"Why can't you remember?" Yuki asked, having regained her composure.

"I got into an accident which gave me amnesia for a while. I couldn't even remember who I was. Thankfully my father was there to help me fill in the blanks."

"So you believed everything your father told you?" Koji asked, staring at Taeko in a mixture of disbelief and disgust. Taeko's own face became hardened.

"Is there any reason not to?" she asked, her voice becoming low. "He was a good father, and a wonderful policeman."

"My father was a policeman too," Yuki said suddenly, noticing the heightened tension in the room. "It really is a wonderful position. Good service to the community. Even though he stopped, he still has his old uniform, you know? It's in his closet."

Taeko softened, and gave Yuki a smile. "I'm sure he was just as good a father to you as mine was to me."

For some reason, Koji didn't like the sound of that at all. "Miss Usagi…we have to go," Koji interrupted, half-dragging Yuki out of the house. He gave one last look around the room, and at the mannequin. He shook his head and said, "Oh yeah, lady. Your pops sounds like a _very_ good man."

----

"What is the meaning of this, Koji?" Yuki asked when they were out and far away from the house. "We haven't even been inside for thirty minutes, and you just pull us out of there. I could have gotten more information!"

"Miss Usagi," Koji said exasperatedly, "you can't tell me that you didn't feel strange when you were inside that house. I mean, I know you're…impaired…but that woman was not right in the head!"

Yuki frowned. "Well, she did seem strange…but still, she's the only living relative of Hirukawa. I could have asked her more questions…"

"You forget that she said she had amnesia after his attack. So everything before her attack was told to her by her _beloved_ father. It's going to sound pretty one-sided, Miss."

"Better that than nothing."

Koji sighed. Noticing an outdoor café nearby, he went over and sat down at one of the clean white tables. Yuki sat down next to him, carefully folding her walking stick and placing it next to her. For a moment the two sat in silence, one too distraught to speak, and the other too tired. Finally, the latter spoke.

"Miss Usagi…how about we just forget about the Lil' Slugger book?" Yuki turned to him in shock.

"Koji…how can you even say something like that?"

Koji shook his head. "Never mind, Miss Usagi. It's just that it seems to be taking a lot of you. I know, because it's taking even more out of me."

Yuki's lips thinned. "Well, I never said that you had to help me, now did I?"

"Don't be like that! I was just saying—"

"If it really makes you that tired," Yuki continued, her own anger getting the better of her, "then why don't you just stop helping me all together? I can do this without you, you know."

Koji stared at her for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah, right Miss Usagi! That's a good one."

"You don't think I can?" Yuki said angrily.

"Miss Usagi, without me, you'd have been lost since you were twelve. Besides," Koji added smugly, "you're the one who always says that you wouldn't know what you would do without me. Isn't that right?"

Yuki opened her mouth to argue, but when finding no real counterpoint, she shut her mouth and frowned. She scooted her chair away from Koji and turned away from him.

"What, are you mad at me now?" Koji asked, staring at her in disbelief. "Come on! You're usually much more composed than this."

Yuki said nothing.

"Fine! Be that way!"

Yuki still said nothing.

Koji slumped back in his seat and angrily opened the menu. Damn it, what was wrong with her? She was just fine this morning…and now she was acting like…a damn tyrant, or something.

_At least things can't get worse._

"Yoo-hoo! Yuki! Garyou!"

_And I just had to go jinx it. _

Koji looked up and saw a scantily clad Hitomi coming over. An American man was draped all over her, and he held some kind of potted plant in one hand. The sight disgusted him. _Here comes boyfriend number fourteen…_

"Baby! What are you doing here?" Hitomi asked, her blue shaded eyes widening dramatically. "This is the other side of town!"

"We had business," Yuki replied. "For my new book."

"Your new…oh that. I remember." Hitomi waved it hand, as if dismissing the idea. "I hope that going well. Oh! I'd like you to meet someone, baby! This is Matt!" Hitomi pulled the American closer to her daughter and forced her to take his free hand. "Say hi!"

Koji saw Yuki's face pale as she felt the man's hand. The man, however, did not seem to notice this and shook her hand eagerly. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said in surprisingly good Japanese. "I've heard much about you from your mother. Tells me that you're quite the genius."

"Really?" Yuki replied. "That's interesting."

"How's that?" Matt asked.

"She's said nothing about you. I wonder what that implies?"

"Huh?" Matt stared at her, confused. Either the man's Japanese was flawed, or he didn't know that he had just been insulted.

"Let's not stay out here!" Hitomi said, a bit louder than necessary. "Come on, it's going to rain!"

"Wait darling," Matt said. He turned to Yuki and smiled as he held out the potted plant, which held cluster amaryllises. "These looked very beautiful, so I thought I'd get them for you. Your mother and I were going to surprise you at your apartment, but as long as we're all here…"

Yuki took the potted plant and stroked the flowers. "Thank you."

"I sent some to your father, too," Matt continued, smiling. "I hope he likes them."

"I doubt it," Koji said gruffly. "The Lieutenant can't tend to plants. Especially not with his given condition."

Matt's face fell, and Hitomi glared at Koji angrily. "I'm sure my former husband can take care of a simple plant," she said as she placed an arm around her boyfriend. "He's not _that_ helpless."

"Let's go home," Yuki said suddenly. She picked up her walking stick with one hand as she held the cluster amaryllises with the other. "Rain's going to fall soon. I can smell it."

"You can smell it?" Matt asked, fascinated. "Cool!"

Koji rolled his eyes. With the exception of the Lieutenant, Hitomi had a knack for picking out the stupid ones.

A drop of rain hit the dry pavement.

----

A drop of rain hit the dry pavement.

Maniwa paused, his wrinkled, weak hand trembling before the equal sign. He looked up at the cloudy gray sky as another drop of rain hit his balding head. Near him, his younger companion and recent roommate sat in his wheelchair, staring happily at the increasing raindrops that hit the ground.

"Drops!" the man cried, clapping happily. "Friend, look! Drops on the ground! It pretty. Very pretty."

Maniwa stared at the drops his companion pointed out before turning back to the ground. The increasing rain was washing away his equation.

In the top left corner was a "US".

In the top right corner was an "AG".

On the bottom left, there was an "IU".

ON the bottom right, just before the equal sign, was a blurry "MA".

"Wet!" his companion yelled as the rain began to pour over them. "Wet, wet, wet!"

----

Nanashi slowly applied the green eye shadow.

Nothing was going to go wrong tonight. He had spent an hour on his makeup, making himself look as feminine as possible. He had chosen his outfit with care, and he had checked his old e-mail four times to make sure that he knew where to go.

Vulture had said to meet at eight o'clock, at the city park, at the front gates. At first Nanashi had hesitated, partially because his mother had been attacked there, and partially because there were more cops at the park now. Some might be from his father's department. Some might _recognize_ him and turn him into his father, and then he was as good as dead.

But he argued with himself. His mother had caught her attacker, and with all the makeup, the police wouldn't recognize him. And besides, having them around was an extra bonus. If Vulture didn't like the fact that he was Nanashi instead of Eve, well, he wouldn't go and beat him up in front of the cops, now would he?

Nanashi snuck quietly out of his room, locking his door. His grandmother's door was open, and he could hear her snores echo throughout the house. He smiled as he snuck downstairs and out into the raining night, umbrella in tow.

As he walked to the bus stop, he reached into his pockets and curled his fingers around several coins and a bill. He had enough money for a bus ride into the city. His hand clenched around the money. He did not have enough to get back.

Nanashi bit his lip, momentarily tasting the red gloss he smeared on his lips. Perhaps Vulture would give him a ride home. Maybe Vulture would actually like him, and wouldn't _want_ to send him away. Maybe…maybe…

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are…"

Or maybe he'd just have to walk. As he stood by the bus stop, he half wished that he brought his yellow bag this time. In case he was left alone again, he needed something to take the makeup off, so he wouldn't be a walking target. But this time, he actually believed he wouldn't be left alone. He wouldn't be going home alone. Not tonight.

He went into the bus, depositing the coins as he did. The driver took one look at him and handed him a transfer slip as if he was holding something vile and disgusting, flinging the paper away so that their hands would not touch. It fell to the floor. Nanashi bent over to pick it up, and heard several whispers from behind him.

Damn, damn, damn. He should have worn a longer coat to cover his red satin pants. He shouldn't have used the eye shadow that had glitter in it. Should have done this, and that and that, and that…

Most of all, he should have realized, should have known, that this world he was in was real and cruel, something that no amount of wishing could ever change.

He sat down behind the driver, trying to ignore the whispers and snickers. He learned from a documentary on apes and monkeys that the beasts exaggeratedly averted their gaze to avoid aggression from their fellow primates.

For some reason, it worked better on monkeys and apes than it did on humans. Maybe the creatures were more civilized and understanding.

----

"Anything your heart desires will come to you…"

The rain stopped.

Nine fifty-six. In four minutes, Vulture would officially be two hours late.

Nanashi looked to the left, looked to the right, and looked to the left again, but still there were no signs of a good-looking man heading his way. So far, all he got were uniformed cops, young rookies from the looks of them, as they strolled by. Each one of them stared at Nanashi and either grimaced in disgust or clicked their tongues in judgment.

God damn them all. Who the fuck were they to judge?

He glanced at his watch. Ten o'clock.

Perhaps he _had_ come, seen the cute red outfit and the young _man_ wearing it, and had gone home in disgust. Perhaps he had changed his attention to a female prostitute; God knows there were plenty to choose from. Anything to keep from going home alone. This was what he, Nanashi, was going to have to do.

That was the part he hated most. Going home alone. After a glimmer of hope, after all those romantic e-mails…he was stood up again.

Nanashi slowly walked through the city streets. He debated whether or not it would have been better if Vulture had shown up and beaten him. At least he would have had company for a minute.

A cop came by, the youngest yet, and looked at Nanashi as he passed by. The cop had oily hair that was slicked back under his cap, and his broad nose was the most pronounced feature on his face. _Handsome_, Nanashi thought, _in a buff sort of way._ From the look on the man, he found Nanashi to be a vile being, but he wouldn't dare beat him up. How Nanashi knew this, he didn't quite know. He just did. With his lifestyle, he learned to tell danger before it struck. Not the he could stop the danger.

"Pardon me, officer?"

The cop stopped suddenly, as if trained, and turned, though reluctantly. "What'cha want?"

"I'm lost," Nanashi said, making his voice soft and feminine, "and I have no bus fare."

The cop stared at him suspiciously. "Got your pocket picked?"

"Yeah."

"What the hell were you doing out here for? I was watching you for two hours. You were just standing there like an idiot."

"I was waiting for a friend."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty, officer."

"Sure. Whatever. What's it to me if you've got money for the bus?" The cop took out several bills and handed them to Nanashi, who took it gratefully.

"Thank you, sir. I just thought that, well, it's a long walk. I might get hurt."

The cop studied Nanashi's face, and frowned. "You definitely _will_ get hurt with that shit on your face. Here." He took out a white handkerchief from his pants pocket. "Wipe that off."

_Damn._

"Do I have to?"

"Do you want the bus fare?"

_Damn again._

Nanashi took the cloth, though reluctantly, and began to wipe his face, feeling as if he lost something. It had been a perfect makeup job. Fantastic, really. He never looked more beautiful in his life, and now he felt ugly without it, and hated himself for it. The cloth was now marred with dark, flesh colored stains from the powder and mascara, but he tried to avoid his eyes. Maybe the eye shadow would survive.

He tried to hand the handkerchief back, but the officer made a face. "Keep it," he said. "It sill looks like hell, though. Go home. Wash your face. I don't want to see you around here again, got it?"

"Got it, officer."

----

_Almost home. Get on the transfer bus._

Nanashi walked past a tavern, his stiletto heels clicking in the night. The thought passed in his mind to go into the tavern to wash his face for real in the bathroom, but what good would that do? There wasn't anything he could do about his clothes.

_Should have brought the bag…_

A couple of men stepped out of the bar towards him. Oh shit. He'd really done it now.

_Keep walking, keep walking, keep walking…_

"Where you going?" one of the men called out. Nanashi didn't answer. He kept walking.

"Cute little shake to that walk," another man said. They were closer now. "Hey! You hear me talking, girl?"

"That's a girl?"

Nanashi ran. The bus stop was closer. If he could just—OOOF!

Someone tackled him to the ground, and he fell forward, with a great weight crushing his back. His chin struck the pavement, and he felt the air get crushed out of him from the weight above. The weight was a big male body, pinning him down. Breathing was getting difficult…

He turned his head to the side. There were several bags of garbage nearby. God, did they stink…if these guys were going to kill him, they could at least do it in a more fragrant place…

A slight downward pressure was applied, more profoundly at his bottom. Damn it. This was not how he wanted to have sex. At least, not in the middle of the friggin' wet street.

The weight lifted, and Nanashi felt a hand at the back of his neck, lifting him to his knees. Then, he felt a shoe kick him squarely on the back, and knocked him back down. His nose smashed against the wet pavement, and he tasted the salty blood that flowed down to his lips.

"Shit," one of the men said. "It's just a goddamn faggot. I'm leaving."

"Gay bastard."

The men left him then, but Nanashi lay still on the sidewalk. He noticed that there were actually people on the street, and that they had been there the whole time. Nothing and nobody went near him. Nobody wanted to help.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Nanashi looked up. A man, no, a bear of a man, was standing over him. He helped Nanashi to his feet and led him to his car. "It's not safe out here, kid," the man said softly. "I'll drive you home."

"By the way," the man said. "I'm Ryota."

----

His grandmother was still asleep. Good. His parents were home. Not so good.

He thought his folks would be out again. What the hell were they doing back? They were supposed to be out all night. He tried to rush past them up the stairs, but his father caught him, and forced Nanashi to face him.

Boy did he look mad.

"Boy, what the hell is on your face?" Nanashi looked down, wishing that he was back on the streets, with the men. They suddenly seemed a lot friendlier. His father shook him roughly.

"Answer me boy! What the hell is on your face!"

"Stop it!" his mother yelled, and she tried to pull his father off of him. "Leave him alone! He can't help but be this way!"

"You knew!" his father bellowed, turning on his wife. "You knew he was like this! How dare you keep this from me!"

"I had to! I knew you would react this way!"

Nanashi tried to sneak upstairs, but his father suddenly rounded on him and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him down. "Don't you walk away from me!"

"Stop it!" His mother tried to pull him off, but his father knocked her away. Nanashi turned and bit his father's arm, and his father let out with a howl of pain. Nanashi tried to run back up the stairs, but his father caught his leg, and pulled him back down.

_No, please…no more…_

His mother jumped on his father's back, and his father had to let go of him to get her off. Nanashi took his chance.

He ran as fast as he out the door; his room would only be a false safety. He ran towards a car, Ryota's car, and jumped in. Ryota stared at him, shocked.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I'll explain later. Just drive!"

Ryota caught a glimpse of Nanashi's furious father running out of the house and panicked. He put the car in gear and pressed the pedal to the floor, leaving behind a furious Chief Usagiuma.

----

Her mother and Matt had chatted all the way home, much to Yuki and Koji's dismay. It seems they had met Tsukiko Sagi, and had brought the rights to Maromi. It wasn't hard, since the bankruptcy of her old company left the rights of the strangely unknown dog to her. Her mother and Matt had then dropped them off at Yuki and Koji's apartment, and had said that they were staying in a nearby hotel. She gave Yuki a kiss and left. Just like that.

Once inside their apartment, Yuki didn't say anything to Koji. Still holding the flowers, she went directly to her room and locked the door, sitting solemnly on her bed as she placed the pot on the dresser. For a moment, she just sat there, thinking.

Her cell phone suddenly rang. She took the device out of her bag and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Miss Usagi? This is Aki, from Red Fire Publishers. I don't want to hurry you, but I just wanted to remind you that the deadline if in a couple of months."

Yuki froze, an unfamiliar feeling coursing through her heart. "I understand," she said as calmly as she could. "Please be patient. The book will be ready in time."

"Of course. Good night."

Yuki shut the phone half-heartedly, and dropped it to the floor. Finally, she reached into her bag, and took out a small plush puppy. She hugged it, as her bottom lip trembled.

She stopped when she realized that she had something else in her hand as well. She put the dog down and felt the imprints on the card.

It was Arishima's card.

----

Ryota stopped in near the bridge, and got out of the car. Puzzled, Nanashi followed him as Ryota made his way to the edge of the bridge.

"What're you doing?" Nanashi asked as Ryota leaned over the railing. "That's dangerous."

Ryota laughed. "It is," he admitted, "but the view of the water and the night sky at this time of night is absolutely fantastic. Come, have a look."

Nanashi shyly walked up to Ryota, and peeked over the railing. The water seemed a little wild, but it did have an aura of attractiveness. And though the sky was clouded from the recent rain, the brownish color was still a sight to behold.

"It's not what others would call pretty," Ryota said softly, "but it still is beautiful. Just in a different way. You just have to know how to look at it. Like you, for example."

Nanashi looked at Ryota in disbelief, and observed him for the first time. Ryota was lean, but had a muscular look to him. His clothes were tight enough to show off his form, but were loose enough to allow movement. And by god, he was blonde and tanned. Nanashi felt a flutter of excitement.

"You think I'm pretty?" Nanashi said quietly. "I mean, I'm…well…not a girl and all…"

"I'm gay too," Ryota replied casually. "So don't try to explain it to me."

"But…you were at that tavern…"

"I hide it. I have to, otherwise I'd get my face pummeled in too. It's a hard life for us."

Nanashi thought of the men at the tavern, and his father. "Tell me about it."

"What're youze freaks doing here?"

Nanashi turned around and paled. The men from the tavern were back…and were all dead drunk. Oh God, was one of them holding a crowbar?

"You gay f-fags," one of them slurred. "You all shoo just…go die. In the w-water."

"And youze," another man said, pointing to Ryota. "I thought youze was alright, but I s-see it was…an acts."

Ryota stepped in from of Nanashi. "Come on fellas," he said quietly. "You don't want to do anything stupid—AGH!" One of the men, the one with the crowbar, slammed his weapon into Ryota's stomach. Ryota gasp and collapsed to the ground, as the other men began to kick him to a pulp.

"How d'ya like dat! And dat!" They kept kicking him. Blood was pouring out of his nose now…Nanashi backed away, but one of the men spotted him.

"Get her!" they yelled, and Nanashi ran, clip-clopping as fast as he could on his damn heels.

_I should have brought my sneakers, I should have brought my sneakers…_

He heard a grunt from behind him. He turned and saw Ryota tackle his pursuers to the ground. Nanashi didn't think. He just kept running...

----

He knelt in an alley, half-hidden in the shadows. The stench of garbage and cheap alcohol was everywhere, but he didn't care. This was where society wanted him, wasn't it?

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are…"

Nanashi loved that song, ever since he was a child. He had sang it with his mother, when his father was…away on business with other female officers.

"Anything your heart desires will come to you…"

His father was partially responsible for his…condition. Gods, how he hated that man. And he hated women. He hated the women who loved his father, with the exception of his mother. She was the only good woman, in his case.

Damn it. It wasn't his fault he was gay.

He was never going to be anything in life. He was never anything in school. He was never anything in the real world. All he ever had was the internet, and his fantasies. Look where that got him.

He looked up. What was that noise? It sounded like metal against the pavement. He waited, but the sound was gone. Great. He was hallucinating again.

He went back to his thought. Now, in life, he tried to meet the love of his life as Eve. He'd been stood up countless times. And the one other man who actually took an interest in him was getting beaten to a pulp. And God only knew how his mother was doing. He was a rotten lover and a rotten son.

"I'm garbage," he said quietly. "I wish I could change…"

Suddenly, a shadow was cast over him. Nanashi looked up, and found himself face to face with a young boy wearing golden rollerblades and a red cap. In his hands was a twisted metal bat.

_This isn't right_, Nanashi thought, too shocked to do anything as the boy lifted his bat. _All the Shonen Bats were captured—_

In a moment, he couldn't think anymore.

----

Arishima looked up from his desk, his eyes wide with shock. "What? Another person has been attacked?"

"Yeah," the young officer said. "Last night. Well, we don't really know if it's actually the same attackers, but the injury is similar to the last four victims. It's the Chief's own son too. But er…they found the guy in a rather…interesting getup."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Arishima snapped, but stopped when the officer showed him a picture from the crime scene. "Oh my…God. That is sick."

"You're sick? Look at the Chief…if he ever comes out of his office. The boy's awake, but he can't remember anything. Doesn't even remember his own name, or the fact that he's gay. Life's a bitch isn't it?"

Arishima was too dumbfounded to nod.

"Oh, and that crazy kid is screaming something about a white mage. What am I supposed to do with him?"

"Put him in his own cell, goddamn it!"

"Geez! Temper! Fine, I'll do that! Calm down…"

"Whatever," Arishima grumbled as the officer left. He stared after him for a moment before putting his head in his hands.

There was another possible attacker out there. What was he missing? Was it another Shonen Bat member or was this a goddamn copycat? Damn it! He had to interrogate those brats again…

His cell phone rang, and he swore as he checked who it was. Yuki Usagi? Well, that was a first. "Hello? Miss Usagi?"

"Hello detective," Yuki said softly on the other end. "Forgive me for disturbing you at this hour."

"Not at all. That's why I gave you my number. So you could call me."

"May I meet with you sometime?"

Arishima blinked in surprise. "Uh…maybe not today, but this week would be nice. What for?"

"I need your assistance."

"Can't Garyou help you?"

"He can't help me anymore. I need _you_, detective."

----

**Prophetic Visions  
**

**Maniwa: To begin…the ways of society is narrow and one-dimensional. To those who see things in an alternate prospective, only pain and anguish await them. Flee shadow of shadows, to the light! There, the Holy Warrior will set you free, and will release you from your chains, you cages…the path of salvation has at last been revealed to all…and then…**

**Read and review this god awful chapter and wait patiently for the next, better chapter.**


	7. Connection Granted

Disclaimer: I don't own Pa.

A/N: I knew the last chapter was a flop. Lowest review count to date. I seem to be jinxed with the Usagiuma family for some reason…

Warning: This chapter is severely edited in content to keep the rating a T. (If you guys want to change that, let me know so I can up this to an M.) There is implied adult content and violence. I don't want flames saying that I didn't give any warnings. This is my one and final notice.

Updates will be farther apart, since I just started school. Sorry, but I'm a nerd at school…studying is my top priority.

Thanks to all four reviewers.

**_Chapter seven: Connection Granted_**

The computer screen turned blank for a moment before a small white box appeared, with a question flashing suddenly in bold, black, twelve point Times New Roman font.

_Password?_

Arishima squinted at the screen for a second before his fingers flew over the keyboard, pausing long enough to dramatically press the "enter" key with a smirk.

_Connection granted._

The box disappeared, and Arishima waited, his eyes never leaving the screen. Then, another box appeared, and Arishima's jaw dropped as a look of utter shock spread across his features.

_File not found. File not found. File not found._

He stared at his computer in disbelief. How could the file not be there? There were records from over a hundred years ago locked away in the police station. How could an unofficial report from forty years ago be missing? He and Koji had seen it before, right when they had started the force. So how could it just disappear?

Arishima swore as he slumped back into his seat. His hacking wasn't the problem. He did this way too many times to make a mistake. Someone had removed the files. But who?

Fuck. This was going to sour his "date" with Yuki Usagi. He should have just offered her flowers and chocolates, instead of agreeing to get some forty-year-old file for her.

_Ah, fuck._

----

She was there again. That soft place…with the smell of grass. Yuki stood up, only to stumble back onto the dewy grass. The area was so bright…_bright_?

Normally, she was enshrouded in darkness. She couldn't see anything through the pitch blackness that passed itself for her vision, but now…there was a sort of whiteness here and there, some areas of white brighter than others. Yuki stood up again, her bare feet wet against the grass, and went towards one of the lighter areas. It seemed to grow brighter as she walked.

Yuki stopped and tried to contain her wild, overly beating heart. Was this…a sign? Was this a sign that she could see light? After all these years? After…after…

_Yuki!_

Where did that voice come from? Yuki turned her head, trying to find the source. It was a high pitched voice; slightly childish but with an unreal quality to it. Like an adult that had swallowed a little too much helium.

_Yuki! Don't be afraid! Don't worry!_

Agh, that voice was annoying. But…

_I'll always protect you!_

The words…

_I'll keep you happy!_

They were from a long time ago…

_I'll always be with you!_

No. This wasn't real. This was a dream. Those words were something he would never be able to say again…

_Yuki! No! NO!_

With a gasp, Yuki bolted upwards in her bed. The whiteness vanished, and it was all Yuki could do to keep from crying. How could her own consciousness play these torturous tricks on her? Wasn't it enough that she had to live in darkness every day, with no one but Koji to understand her pain? Yuki clutched the Maromi doll close to her chest, trying to control her breathing. This wasn't fair. This wasn't fair.

"Hitomi, I don't see why we have to talk. Ever. I just want to take care of your daughter without you looking over my shoulder every fucking minute!"

Yuki gasped. That had been Koji. What was going on? Why was he so angry? What time was it?

"Garyou, you knew this day was coming. And I think that our talk has been put off far enough."

That was her mother. What were they doing? Yuki got up and, barefoot, felt her way to the door, opening it and stepping into the sitting room, where she was immediately slammed with waves of high tension and anger.

Perhaps she should have just waited in her room.

"Miss Usagi!" She felt Koji's callused hands touch her shoulders, his hands tightening at contact. "What are you doing up? You don't have class today. You should sleep in."

"Yuki baby!" A sharp pull from her mother ripped Yuki away from Koji's hold, and she tensed as her mother held her close. "You shouldn't be out here in your nightie! Go back and change, honey."

Yuki extracted herself from her mother and stood awkwardly, feeling slightly cold from the autumn morning. "I...uh…why were you two yelling?"

The three suddenly fell into a tense silence, with Koji's erratic breathing resonating through the room. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Hitomi spoke, in an unnaturally cheerful voice. "I need to borrow Garyou for the day. You don't mind spending the whole day at home, do you? I promise I'll be back with him at seven tonight."

"_I_ mind!" Koji roared, startling both Yuki and her mother. "I am her caretaker! I can't leave her alone for the whole day! What if something happens while I'm gone? What if she needs me?"

"Yuki is _eighteen_, Garyou," Hitomi said coldly, and Yuki flinched slightly at her icy tone. "I'm sure she can take care of herself for one day. And I'm sure she doesn't need _you_ for every little thing, do you Yuki baby?"

Yuki felt Hitomi grab and squeeze her arm, but she didn't respond.

"Wonderful!" Hitomi cried, taking Yuki's silence as an affirmative response. "Well, see you later!" Yuki felt Hitomi release her, and heard her walked towards the door.

"Would you wait a moment, woman?" Koji bellowed. Yuki felt Koji grab her hand and pull her into the kitchen. She heard Koji open the refrigerator, and she felt him press her hand against a cold cardboard box.

"This is lentil and broccoli casserole," Koji said quietly. "I was going to make something better, but seeing that we have unwanted disturbances…"

"It's fine, Koji," Yuki said softly. She took the box and sniffed it. "This will do. It's only one day, after all."

"I'm really sorry," Koji apologized. He paused, and Yuki smiled, imagining his face scrunching up in worry and frustration. Suddenly, she felt something soft press against her forehead, something soft, warm, and slightly wet. She could smell his aftershave, and could feel his smooth chin against her nose.

The soft object left her forehead, as did Koji's chin, but the smell of his aftershave lingered. "I'll see you later," Koji said, his voice much tighter, and he quickly left, his own footsteps fast paced and controlled. Yuki paused for a moment, and then smiled.

He hadn't kissed her since she was thirteen.

----

Arishima sat quietly as they dragged Neko to the interrogation room, kicking and screaming. He looked up as the officer threw the boy in the room, and quickly took notice of the boy's more haggled appearance. There were several bruises on the boy's face, and well as one on the lower part of his neck. His hat was off, and his hair, though already shaggy, looked even more disheveled than usual. His clothing was rumpled and he had a wild look about him.

Someone was hurting this boy, but it couldn't have been his gang members; Neko had been placed in solitary confinement. The only ones with access to his cell were the other officers, and Chief Usagiuma.

_Oh shit…_

"Peasant!" Neko screamed as the officer slammed the door to the room shut. Arishima immediately went over to the boy and tried to help him up, but Neko slapped his hand away, and backed himself into a corner. "Gonna beat me too?" Neko snarled, his eyes wide and accusing. "Think that I know more than I do? Well, you're wasting your time! I already told you everything I know!"

Arishima felt his stomach turn slightly at the sight before him, but he hardened his mind against it. He pointed to the chair and said roughly, "Sit down, kid. I don't want to spend any more time than necessary on this, so you might as well play along."

Neko gave him a suspicious look, and Arishima sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay kid?"

The boy paused for a moment, before reluctantly sitting down in one of the three chairs. Arishima took the seat opposite him as he took out a cigarette and lit it. He noticed the boy staring at him as he took a long puff, but he ignored it. To hell with anti-drug protests.

"So," Arishima said as he placed the cigarette on a nearby tray, "I assume you know why you're here?"

Neko remained silent.

"There's been another attack on the streets," Arishima pressed. "Same style as the ones done on Jakkaru, Migoto Taira, and Wamu. Now I should tell you—"

"Stop," Neko said suddenly, his eyes widening the mention of Wamu's name. "What are you talking about? The Jackal Bandit and Red Snapper Sorceress had been attacked over the head. I hit the Plague Worm near his legs, and on his back."

Arishima froze. _Oh no…_ "He was attacked a second time, Neko," Arishima said slowly, a feeling of dread rising up in his chest. "Over the head, like the first two victims."

"No!" Neko stood up in his chair, wringing his head. "No! I didn't stop him? I didn't save him? No! The Holy Warrior must have gotten to him!"

"Do you mean Tori?" Arishima asked, the sense of dread spreading to his entire body. "Was Tori the one who attacked Wamu the second time?"

"What? That baby? He wouldn't have the courage to attack something as large as the Plague Worm! Tori didn't, and wouldn't, attack any off those people!"

Arishima was in a state of shock. This was unbelievable. This…this couldn't be right! "But he confessed!" Arishima half-yelled, more to himself than to Neko. "He told me that he did it!"

"He _lied_," Neko explained, a strange smile spreading across his face. "Nezumi probably forced him to give that fake confession, to take the heat off the gang. But it's hopeless. The Holy Warrior is not here. He is not one of us."

The door suddenly burst open, and a very angry, very pissed off looking Chief Usagiuma stormed in. Without warning, he grabbed Neko by the collar and slammed him against the wall, ignoring the boy's pained gasp. "You little asshole!" Chief screamed. "You and your little Shonen Shits ruined my reputation by attacking my son! I gave you a chance to tell me the goddamned truth, and you repay me by creating even more shit for me to deal with? YOU BASTARD!" Eyes bulging, the Chief slapped Neko across the face, emitting a cry form the boy as his injured cheek turned red.

"Chief, that's enough!" Arishima grabbed the older man and forced him off of Neko, who slid to the floor in pain. The man twisted and tried to get at Neko, but Arishima held him steady with a lot of effort. "C-chief—you have to—to calm down! This is not—the way to handle him! The boy is sick!"

"Let me go!" Chief Usagiuma roared. "Let me go! I'm gonna _kill him_!"

"Mage…" Neko whispered from the floor. "White…Mage…."

"Get him out of here!" Arishima screamed to the officer watching nervously outside. "Get the kid out of here!"

----

With a small cup of water in her hands, Yuki slowly poured the liquid onto the cluster amaryllises, making sure to give the water evenly in the pot. She placed the now empty glass against the wooden windowsill, and ran one of her hands over the soft blossoms as she held her Maromi doll with the other.

A cluster amaryllis was supposed to be beautiful, especially with its red color. Yuki had no idea was the color red looked like, but she knew that an apple was red, and that an apple smelled as good as it tasted. So she imagined red to be beautiful in a way. But she also knew that blood was red, and that it had a metallic taste and smell. Not only did some people get nauseous over the sight of it, but some even fainted at the mere thought of blood. So Yuki imaged red to be ugly as well.

To be ugly and beautiful at the same time. Well, at least Matt proved that he wasn't shallow enough to buy her something common and boring, like roses.

Yuki smiled as a cool breeze brushed against her cheek. It was a beautiful morning; she could smell it. Too bad Koji was out. But that didn't mean that she couldn't go out too. Yuki slowly felt her way to her dresser and picked up her cell phone, slowly pressing the number into the dial pad. Then she held the phone to her ear and waited.

----

Arishima wrung his hair in his hands.

"I told you, I did it!" Tori said, not looking directly into Arishima's eyes. "I…I did it!"

"Are you sure?" Arishima said exasperatedly. "Neko said that your gang members forced you to take the blame. If this is true, then I suggest that you withdraw your confession and get placed into protection, like Jakkaru."

"Jakkaru?" Tori's bruised eyes softened slightly. "Is—is he okay?"

Arishima raised a brow. "Why do you ask? If you were the one who clobbered him, then why should you care if he's okay or not?"

"I-I don't!" Tori sputtered, looking away. An ugly injury could be seen on the child's cheek. "I-I was just curious, that's all!"

"You know, we contacted Jakkaru," Arishima said, his voice becoming coy, "and he couldn't believe it was you. He said that he thought of you as a little brother."

Tori stiffened visibly.

"I must say, I find it strange too. If I cared about someone like a brother, then the last thing I would do is smash him on the head—"

"Stop it," Tori whispered, his eyes watering.

"I mean, trust is a big thing between brothers. I simply wouldn't even dream of hitting—"

"Stop it!" Tori screamed, covering his ears. "So what if I didn't do it? I have to! It's for the good of the gang! I had to lie, don't you see? If I didn't, then Nezumi would kill me! And then—AAAGGHHH!"

The Chief burst in again, and in one fell motion, grabbed the back of Tori's head and slammed it against the table. Tori fell off of his chair from the blow, and he lay still on the ground, too shocked from the impact to move.

"Damn it Chief!" Arishima screamed as he rushed to check on Tori. "Leave them alone!"

"We're going backwards because of these little fuckers! First he confesses, then he takes it back. Just write the damn report and charge him and that lunatic!"

Arishima growled, and felt Tori's head. He could feel the child shaking under his hand. "I think this kid's innocent," he snarled. "I'm not going to let you ruin a ten-year-old's life, just because you have a personal vendetta!"

Chief Usagiuma froze for a moment, before smiling cruelly. "Those were almost the exact same words Garyou said to me back then, you know," he said in a tightly controlled voice. "Watch that mouth of yours."

His blood ran cold at those words. Arishima looked up, eyes wide and questioning, but the Chief had already left. Tori whimpered on the floor, and Arishima gritted his teeth. This damn case was putting everyone on edge.

His cell phone suddenly rang. He checked it.

It was Yuki Usagi. Damn it…she was going to yell at him too, for not having the files.

Oh well. At least he'd get a break from interrogation.

----

Koji sat as still as a statue, trying to block out everything around him, including the scantily dressed woman that sat in front of him, who was noisily sipping an iced vanilla coffee.

He still couldn't figure out how Hitomi and Yuki were related. They were polar opposites, without even one thing in common.

Today, Hitomi had on tight, ripped blue jeans that were so ripped that the jeans were nothing more than tattered shreds. She also had on a pink, long sleeved shirt that was so tight that he could see_ every bit_ of her body, which made him want to gauge his eyes out. On the front was, to his dismay, a picture of Tsukiko Sagi's creepy dog, the first of many to go into stores in a week, Hitomi had said proudly to him and to a large crowd of reporters who had stopped them on the way to the café. Why all of Japan and half of America found her attractive, he would never know. He silently preferred Yuki's modest plainness.

Yuki. The thought of her made his stomach do a flip-flop. Damn it, why was he so stupid? He had _kissed_ her; he had broken a boundary between them, and there was no turning back. He could have gotten away with it when she was twelve, but at eighteen…

"Are you listening to me, Garyou?"

"Huh?" Koji looked up, and found himself staring into Hitomi's over-eye-shadowed eyes. _Resist the urge to puke_, he told himself harshly. "I'm sorry. I was thinking—"

"Of my daughter?" Hitomi finished abruptly, and Koji froze. Crap, was this woman psychic? He tried to remain calm as Hitomi searched his face, but soon her features lit up, and a knowing smile spread across her features. "I knew it!" she whispered. "I knew you had a thing for her!" Hitomi's features suddenly turned dark. "You…dog!"

"I…we…nothing happened!" Koji retorted weakly. "It's only on my part, okay? Yuki doesn't know anything about it, and I don't think she feels the same way."

"No, she doesn't," Hitomi agreed, and Koji felt his heart drop. "But I'm not going to give her the chance to."

Koji's insides clenched. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly.

"What the hell do you think I mean, Garyou? I'm dismissing you."

----

Arishima sat on the park bench with his long legs stretched in front of him, smoking his fourth cigarette. As he watched a small group of children play near the swings, he closed his eyes and contemplated his situation.

He had left the young officer from before in charge of Neko and Tori, in hopes of giving them some protection. It was obvious now that Chief Usagiuma was responsible for their injuries, but almost everyone in the force knew that the guy was a corrupted bastard. There was simply nothing they could do.

Now he knew why Koji quit.

Arishima opened his eyes and chuckled as he threw away his cigarette. Since when had he been this deep about his own life? The stress from the Shonen Bat case was really starting to mess with his head. He needed an early vacation…

"Ouch! I'm sorry sir."

Arishima looked towards the park gates and saw Yuki Usagi, with her classic red bag, bowing apologetically to an angry, elderly man as he pushed past her. She was alone.

Arishima immediately got up and rushed towards Yuki, who was trying to feel her way around the park. He grabbed her and pulled her out of the way of a biker, who swerved sharply to avoid her.

"Oh my!" Yuki cried as she clutched him tightly, much in the same way she usually clung on to Koji. Arishima couldn't help but smirk.

"I missed you too," he said teasingly, as he rested his cheek against the top of her head. "How's life been treating you, Miss?"

"Oh…um…" Blushing, Yuki pulled away from his hold, her hands gripping her walking stick much tighter than necessary. "Hello detective. I trust you've been well?"

Arishima laughed, his voice dry and hollow. "Would you like my honest answer, or one of those white lies that makes everyone feel good?"

"I guess that the case isn't going well?" Yuki asked as they sat down on the park bench. "You sound very tired."

"I _am_ very tired," Arishima admitted, yawning loudly just to prove his point. "But tell me Miss, how did you get here by yourself?"

Yuki smiled. "I'm not as helpless as most people like to believe," she said. "I know my way around this part of the city, due to all the walks Koji and I take."

"Huh. Well, bully for you."

"How's the case going?" Yuki asked suddenly.

Arishima blinked for a moment, then sighed. "This case is crumbling before my very eyes. Confessions are actually more lies. Everyone's patience is wearing thin. And the others are beating—" Arishima stopped.

"What are the others doing, detective?"

"They're …uh…beating…my mentality to a pulp! That's it. They're really hassling me, you know."

Yuki frowned, and without warning, reached up and took his face in her hands. Arishima froze. What the hell was she doing? He held his breath as her hands traced every aspect of his face, her mouth still pulled down into a frown as she concentrated. He found himself wishing her shades were off. Although they frightened him before, he wanted to see her eyes now.

This slowly led to him wanting to see other things. He took a look at her body; she was dressed modestly in a white blouse and long yellow skirt, with her red bag placed neatly next to her on the bench. His eyes hovered on her small chest before going downward…to other things.

Yuki pulled her hands away, leaving Arishima with a strange sense of loss. Still frowning, she said quietly, "Don't lie to me."

Arishima didn't know what to say.

"Your face is tense. Your voice sounds a bit nervous, and your lips get thinner when you're uncomfortable. And for some reason, your breathing is off. Don't lie to me."

_Damn_. "How did you know?"

"I don't know. I just do. Did you get the files, by the way?"

"Hm?"

"You know. The files. On the Lil' Slugger case forty years ago?"

"Ah. That." Arishima chuckled nervously. "Well, you see, I tried to get them, but they seemed to have…disappeared."

Yuki frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I looked for them last night, but for some reason, they were gone. It was as if they never existed."

"How could that be?" Yuki cried, startled.

"It's possible that someone removed them. It's an unofficial file, Miss. Maybe someone thought that it was just taking up space and decided to delete it."

"No! That's…no…" Yuki's head dropped, and her bottom lip quivered. "Then all this has been for nothing?"

"Not for _nothing_, Miss. I did manage to find the name of Ikari's partner. His name is Mitsushiro Maniwa, and he resides in the hospital nearby."

"Really?" Yuki turned to him, her features brightening. "Can we go right now? Can we go meet him right now?"

"Uh…well…"

"Come on, detective! Let's go!" Yuki grabbed Arishima's hand and pulled him off of the bench. "This is the breakthrough of a lifetime!"

"Miss Usagi…wait a minute! Miss Usagi!"

----

Koji stared at Hitomi in disbelief. "You can't just fire me!" he yelled, attracting the attention of everyone in the café. "I promised the Lieutenant that I would—"

"Gisei is no longer in charge of Yuki's affairs," Hitomi interrupted coldly. "I am her mother, Garyou. I have the final word on what she does."

"I've been with her for six years!" Koji retorted. "I'm the only one she can confide in! You can't just take her away from me!"

"Garyou, you're just her caretaker. You're no longer needed. I'm going to take care of her now. She doesn't need you anymore."

"And how would you know that?" Koji snarled. "You're the most self-absorbed bitch I've ever met; how would you know what she wants? I mean, you haven't done a very good job in taking care of the Lieutenant—"

Hitomi slammed the table so hard that their glasses spilled over the table, staining the white tablecloth with brown coffee. "Leave my fucking ex-husband out of this!" she hissed. "I know you were close to him in the past, but he's not the same man he used to be, and damn it, I got tired of waiting! I am not going to let him hamper my career, and I am not—" she pointed an accusing finger in his face "—going to leave my only child in the care of a man who likes women half his age!"

Koji stood up, his eyes cold and narrow. "You take that back," he growled. "I told you, Yuki knows nothing about this. And you're one to talk. That Matt doesn't look a day older than twenty-five. You're thirty-eight, aren't you?"

Hitomi froze, before her lips twisted into a bitter grimace. "I want you gone by tomorrow," she said. "You hear me? I want you out of Yuki's apartment by this time tomorrow, or I will make your like a living hell." She stood up and walked out of the café, ignoring the strange looks and whispers that floated around her.

"Why are you so interested in Yuki all of a sudden?" Koji yelled at her retreating back. "Is the American media hassling you about why you only visit your daughter once a year? Or are you just trying to add a "Mother of the Year" award to your belt to make yourself look good?"

"Shut up!" Hitomi screamed as she stomped out the door. Koji sat down and gripped the edges of the table in an effort to contain his anger.

_Damn bitch. Damn, traitorous bitch!_

"Uh, sir?"

Koji glared at the nervous looking waiter before him. "What the fuck do you want?" he hissed.

"Uh…your bill, sir." Koji snatched the bill from his hand and glanced at the price. Then his face turned red.

"THIS IS A RIP OFF! HITOMI, GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"

----

The officer stood nervously in front of the two boy's cells. The younger one, Tori, was shaking and crying hysterically, and no amount of kind words could stop him. The older boy, Neko, was silent and withdrawn, with a haunted, hollow look in his once mischievous eyes. Although the boys were acting differently, both boys were in the darkest corner of their cells, both hunched up in a little ball.

Whatever the Chief did to them must have been bad.

Footsteps resonated in the distance. The officer looked up to see Chief Usagiuma with two other large, burly-looking guards coming his way. He gulped. If they were here for Neko and Tori, he wouldn't be able to stop them.

The Chief stopped in front of the young officer, and smirked. "Out of the way," he said. "My men and I want to question both of the suspects privately. Unlock their cells."

The young officer gulped, and took a quick look at the boys. Tori was whimpering, and was trying to back even further into the corner, as if he wished to go straight through the walls. Neko just stared lifelessly. "I was told that only detective Arishima could question them," the officer said slowly.

"Don't be stupid," the Chief said. "The other officers let me question them when I said so. I am your superior, officer. Move out of the way, or you're fired."

"Sir," the officer argued, "this isn't right, what you're doing to these boys…"

"Get the hell out of my way!" Chief Usagiuma bellowed. "Get out of the way or I will remove you from the force!"

He had no choice. The young officer stood aside, as the other guards opened the cell doors. Tori made a small, animalistic whimper as one of the guard stepped menacingly into his cell. Neko didn't move as the other guard stepped into his.

"Now boys," the Chief said to the burly guards, "what shall we do with these bad, bad children? Should we teach them a lesson they can never forget?"

The burly guards chuckled, and the young officer's eyes widened as he realized what they were going to do. "Chief, you can't!" he cried in horror.

"Son, if you want to keep your job, you'll shut up and do as you're told. If you can't stomach this like a man, then don't look."

The officer was about to protest when he heard Tori screaming, and heard a choked, gurgling sound from Neko as the guards laughed and groaned. The officer turned away, trying not to listen to the boy's cries. Trying not to listen as the Chief screamed at them through their torture to confess who the new attacker was, and to admit to the earlier attacks.

_May God have mercy on me…I'm sorry, detective._

----

"Mitsushiro Maniwa…gee, no one comes to visit _him_."

Arishima forced a smile as the chubby nurse checked the computers for Maniwa's file. He was starting to hate the hospital; he'd been here too many times thanks to the Shonen Bat case. And now he was here for the Lil' Slugger case. What were the odds?

"Ah! Here he is!" the nurse exclaimed. "Room five hundred ten, on the fifth floor. Just take the elevator near the lobby."

"Thanks," Arishima said flatly as he pushed Yuki towards the elevators. "I really hate this place," he muttered as they boarded the elevator. "I never want to come here again. I think I'm gonna go crazy if I do."

"You must have had to come here often because of the recent attacks," Yuki said. "It's not a nice place, is it? All those people who are hurt, both physically and mentally. It gets to you."

"You can say that again," Arishima muttered as they stepped off on the fifth floor. "I might end up here myself, if I keep coming here like this. Here's the room." Arishima stopped in front of a door with the numbers, "510" on the front. Arishima opened the door, expecting an old man in bed, smelling of urine and the musky scent that always seemed to associate itself with old people.

He was only half right.

There were two beds in the room, and an old man was lying in one of them, coughing hoarsely as he tried to draw something on a large piece of paper with a black marker. But there was another man in the room, a younger, more middle-aged man, who was coloring the pictures that littered the floor around the older man's bed. A wheelchair was next to him.

The middle-aged man looked up from his red-and-yellow cat picture, his eyes wide and confused at seeing two new people in his room. But when his eyes focused on Yuki Usagi, the man's face broke into a huge grin, and he crawled over to her, hugging her around the legs tightly. "Pretty lady!" he cried in happiness.

Arishima saw Yuki pale until her face was the color of skim milk. But she forced a smile and touched the man on the head. "Hello papa," she said quietly. "How are you today?"

"Papa?" Arishima said in disbelief, as his gaze switched back and forth between Yuki and the middle-aged man. "This…this is the Lieutenant? This…vegetable is Gisei Usagi?"

"I no like veggies," the man said, wrinkling his nose. "I like candy."

"Is there another man in the room?" Yuki asked as she tried to pry her father's arms off of her.

"Y-yes, Miss Usagi."

"That must be Maniwa. Papa?" She touched her father's head and smiled. "Did you get flowers from mama?"

"Flowers!" Gisei let go of Yuki and crawled off until he was reaching under the bed, where he produced a small pot of wilting cluster amaryllises. "Ugly flowers," he added, shaking his head at the blossoms.

"Why don't you put it near the window, sir?" Arishima suggested nervously. "Maybe they'll turn…prettier."

"Pretty! Pretty flowers!" Gisei dashed off to the window, where he placed the pot on the windowsill. "Turn pretty!" he commanded the flowers.

Arishima shook his head, and led Yuki to the other, older man's bedside, where the old man looked up from his drawings and stared at Yuki with wide, almost frightened eyes.

"Hello sir," Yuki said in a soft voice. "I am Yuki Usagi. You might already know my father, Gisei Usagi." The old man turned his gaze to Gisei, who was still staring hard at the flowers. The old man looked back to Yuki and nodded.

"You are Mitsushiro Maniwa, correct?" The old man nodded again.

"Did you once take part in the Lil' Slugger case forty years ago?" Arishima asked.

The old man's eyes widened even more, and he looked at his drawing of a cat and a fox. "Lil' Slugger," he whispered.

"Yes, Lil' Slugger," Yuki pressed. "Do you know anything about Lil' Slugger?"

"The cycle has already begun again," Maniwa whispered.

"Excuse me?" Yuki asked. "What cycle?"

Maniwa suddenly grabbed Yuki and began to shake her. "Never think of him!" Mnaiwa hissed. "Never speak his name! He's one person, yet he's not. He comes for those emotionally cornered, and he will get you, no matter where you are, no matter how far you run. When darkness overcomes the heart…he will appear…" Maniwa let go of Yuki, and slumped back into his pillows, coughing.

Yuki stood up and backed away from the bed. "Oh my…what have I done?"

"He comes for those cornered…cornered…and he's back," Maniwa whispered, his eyes becoming distant. "He came back…and the cycle has begun again…"

"What are you saying?" Arishima asked, bending over Maniwa. "What do you mean, he's back? He's just an urban legend!"

"He's back…he's weaker, now than before, but something will happen…and his power will grow again…for he killed Makoto Kozuka to do so before" Maniwa looked directly into Arishima's eyes, and for a minute, Arishima felt a strange sensation go through him. He brushed it off, and continued.

"Is he real?" Arishima asked. "Is he behind these attacks?"

"He is one person, yet he's not," Maniwa whispered. "He can appear to anyone who is emotionally cornered…" Maniwa's eyes closed, and his head lolled to the side. Soon, he began to snore quietly.

"Flowers not pretty!" Gisei yelled.

----

_The room darkened. Arishima found himself in a white tuxedo, and several dishes in front of him. He saw Maniwa sitting next to him, eating calmly from the dish that had the dead jackal on it. Arishima took a bite of the fish, and scooped up some worms in the process. A man with his face hidden in the darkness came over to them in a wheelchair, and presented them some cake with a donkey picture on top._

Arishima looked around. It was then he noticed that all of the seats around them seemed to be wheelchairs. Waiters were rolling around on skateboards, and rollerblades…

_Suddenly, Maniwa disappeared. Arishima looked around, and found him on the stage in front of him. Arishima was astounded. When did that stage appear?_

"_For my first trick," Maniwa declared, "I will pass through a solid wall! Watch closely, everyone!"_

_A shadowed audience materialized out of nowhere, and Arishima stood up, staring at them in shock before reluctantly turning his attention back to Maniwa. The old man bowed for a moment, before slowly stretching his hand towards the wall._

_Only his hand didn't stop at the wall. His hand kept going, and went through. Slowly his arm followed, and then his body, and then his head…soon he was gone._

_The audience cheered, their faces still shadowed. A part of Arishima felt that he should feel amazed, but he just felt…frustrated…and angry. He reached for the tablecloth and pulled, scattering all the dishes to the floor. The audience gasped, and all the wheeled waiters stop serving.  
_

"_This is nuts!" Arishima yelled. "Get me out of here! I want to get out of here!"_

_He heard the rushing of rollerblades behind him. Arishima turned around angrily, expecting it to be a waiter, but instead he came face to face with a twelve-year-old boy, who was wearing a black shirt, with a gray half-sleeved sweatshirt over it. He was wearing shorts with golden kneepads, and golden skates were on his feet as he peered elfishly from under a red baseball cap. A twisted yellow bat was in his hands, and the tip was covered with…_

"_Blood," the boy said, before he swung hard on Arishima's head._

----

Arishima bolted out of sleep, sweat dripping down his forehead as he sat upright on his couch. He gasped, and looked at the clock. It was seven at night.

He had dropped Yuki back at her home after their strange meeting with Maniwa and Gisei, and he had gone directly to his apartment instead of the police station. He could still hear Maniwa's strange words.

_He's one person, yet he's not._

Crazy old man. What the hell was he saying? Lil' Slugger was just a legend.

_  
He can appear to anyone who is emotionally cornered._

Emotionally cornered. What a load of bull. Those kinds of people needed therapy. Lil' Slugger never existed.

_Never think of him. Never speak his name._

Arishima went through the files on the Shonen Bat attacks. Hisshino Jakkaru. He had attacked people because he needed money, otherwise his gang member would have killed him. Would that count as emotionally cornered? Arishima though harder. Migoto Taira had been pregnant before her attack. Definite cause for emotional stress. Ken Wamu…his medical records were horrible. His Korean wife had told him that Wamu had lost his job before his attack, and had trouble getting his needed medication. And Nanashi Usagiuma…well, he was a fag. They were almost always cornered.

Wamu's first attack and the attack on Mikomi Usagiuma didn't match, but that was because Neko had confessed to those attacks. That meant that Maniwa could possibly be right…

But that meant that…Lil' Slugger was back.

It was crazy. He was going crazy from this case. But then again…the similarities were too great. Maybe…it was a really good copycat. If he could find the person emotionally cornered, he could get the guy. But who?

"Who is cornered?" Arishima whispered. "Who's emotionally stressed to the point of madness?" Then it hit him.

----

Arishima ran as fast as he could towards the police station, knocking some old women out of the way as he screamed frantically into his cell phone. "I'm telling you, the guy is going to go after Neko and Tori! Chief, I'm not crazy! This guy is not your average kid; he's going to go after them because they're emotionally cornered! Damn it, I don't need a vacation! I'll have your ass on a platter, you asshole! Just go protect them!"

Arishima snapped his phone shut, gritting his teeth. He had to get to these boys. Their lives depended on it.

----

Tori sniffed quietly as he tried to sit comfortably without feeling pain. Why was this happening to him? He denied the attacks. Why was this happening to him?

Suddenly, he heard the sounds of rollerblades echoing through the room. He looked up, and saw a boy around Neko's age skating towards Neko's cell, which was directly across his. The boy was wearing golden rollerblades. He was holding a twisted, menacing golden bat.

The door to Neko's cell suddenly opened, and Tori saw Neko's eyes widen in what had to be absolute terror. Did Neko know him?

"Y-you're the Holy Warrior," Neko whispered, his voice trembling. "Please…I'm not ready…I don't have enough experience. Spare me, please!" Tori watched as the boy lift his bat. No way. Was he going to…

A sick, cracking sound echoed through the room, and Tori had to stuff his fist in his mouth to keep himself from screaming. He shut his eyes and tried not to hear Neko's screams, his cries of agony, and his pleas for help. Another sickening blow silenced him for good.

Tori opened his eyes. Neko's cell was splattered with blood, like from a twisted R-rated horror movie. Neko lay crumpled on the floor, his head crushed and his body twisted in grotesque angles.

Tori's eyes widened when he noticed that the boy was turning towards him, with a twisted, demented grin. His cell door opened, as if it had a mind of its own, and Tori knew.

He screamed even before the bloody bat smashed into his skull.

----

Arishima raced into the station, his heart pounding as he pushed past several officers, all who looked like they were in a hurry. Arishima made his way to Neko and Tori's cells, half surprised to see several guards already there, whispering to one another.

_Well, at least the Chief took my advice._

It was then he noticed the blood.

His heart filling with dread, Arishima went towards the cells, and nearly threw up. Both Neko and Tori were dead, their heads smashed in, their blood pooling in the floor from their battered brains and blood veins. He backed away from the corpses, and ran out into the hall. It was then he noticed a boy hidden in the shadows, leaning against the wall. Arishima noticed golden rollerblades on his feet. Also the bloody bat in his hands.

"You," Arishima whispered, and the boy grinned, and skated away. "Stop!" Arishima yelled drawing his gun. "I order you to stop!" He chased after the boy, who turned the corner into a dead end.

_Now I have you_, Arishima thought.

Strangely, the boy didn't stop. He skated on, and on, until he went right though the wall. Arishima crashed into the wall, unable to follow the boy any further.

His world blurred then. He barely remembered the other cops pulling him away from the wall. He hardly remembered the Chief screaming that he, Arishima, was finished. He barely remembered cleaning up his office, and he didn't remember the whole force whispering around him as he walked out of the police station.

All he could think about, all he could remember, was the boy going through the wall.

----

Yuki sat at her bed, her bag tossed carelessly on the floor, with Maromi sticking out of the top.

She had arrived after Koji had, and she had worried. She had expected him to be angry about her going out without him, but instead, she had found him moving about, with large boxes all over the sitting room. She had asked him what he was doing, and he had told her.

"I'm leaving, Miss Usagi."

"What? But why?" Yuki had been in shock. Had she upset him that much?

"You can thank your mother, Miss. I was told that I am no longer needed, therefore I have to go."

Yuki had held his arm, trying to stop him. "But I need you!" she had cried. "I need you with _me_!"

Koji had stopped, and shrugged his arm out of her grip. "I'm sorry Miss," he whispered, and he had left. Just like that.

Yuki gripped the bed sheets as the breeze blew in the scent of cluster amaryllises throughout the room. She bit her lip as she forced back the tears. "I won't cry," she whispered. "I can't cry."

Something soft touched her foot. It crawled up her leg, sending ticklish waves through her body, and rested on her lap. She felt it. It was Maromi.

"Don't cry," a high-pitched voice said, and the doll snuggled itself into her hand. "You don't need them, Yuki. You have me. I'll protect you. I'll always protect you. I'll always protect you."

----

The computer screen turned blank for a moment before a small white box appeared, with a question flashing suddenly in bold, black, twelve point Times New Roman font.

_Message?_

Arishima typed hurriedly into his computer. Around him, several large pieces of machinery were gathered, all wired directly into his computer. Some of them weren't even legal, but he did not care. He hurriedly typed a message into the box. The computer stopped for a moment, before another message appeared.

_Send message to all?_

Arishima pressed "Yes." Another box emerged, with a copy of the message.

_The police ruled the deaths of Shonen Bat members Isamu Neko and Youji Tori as suicides, but that is a lie. They were killed by Lil' Slugger. He is not an urban legend He is real, and he will come for all those emotionally cornered. To prevent this, you must never speak of him. You must never speak his name. Doing so only makes him stronger, for when darkness overcomes the human heart, he will appear…take care._

_A friend_

Arishima waited.

_Connection granted._

----

**Read and review.**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…the desire to be known is a primal function of human existence, especially by those who are at the bottom. What will one risk for the glories of fame? Love? Family? Even death? As the Holy Scriptures come to light, they will know the true meaning of what they do…and then…**


	8. The Slug, the Turtle, and the Seal

Disclaimer: I don't own PA.

A/N: Sorry folks for the wait. I just didn't have the time. I already had two large tests, and…well…

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

I hope none of you hate by for the wait…and I hope none of you hate me after this chapter…I used a strange format, but it was the only way I could piece this chapter together. (Expect the same thing for chapters nine and ten.) If you hate it, then once again…I'm sorry!

Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter Eight: The Slug, the Turtle, and the Seal_**

A black car pulled up to the curb of the sidewalk, and slowly parked itself at an empty space between two other vehicles, one red, one yellow. Several children playing at the nearby park stopped what they were doing and stared curiously as a man stepped out of the car.

He wasn't young. The man was past middle-age, but his form and features looked too strong to call him elderly. As he shut the car door, the ceases in his forehead deepened, making him look even older than he really was.

He held his car keys in one hand as he smoothed out the folds in his black suit and slipped on a pair of black sunglasses over his pale eyes. He ran his free hand through his gray hair, which was tied back into a ponytail and, on habit, scratched his whitening gray beard as he looked around his surroundings nervously. Finally, he dropped his keys to the ground and kicked them off the sidewalk, where they disappeared down the gutter, out of sight.

One of the children suddenly giggled. The man turned, and the children immediately scattered, the young girl still giggling as she ran back towards the swings. The man stared after them, frowning in annoyance.

Under his suit, he wore a white shirt. On the front of the shirt was a picture of a very childish-looking pink puppy.

What he wouldn't give to button up his coat, to save himself further embarrassment, but for the moment, that was out of the question. He had people to meet, and the only way they were to recognize one another was by wearing the newly advertised Maromitee-shirts.

_Damn Fuu and her annoying girly habits…_

He went into the park, his eyes surveying the adults that sat in solitude on the benches. He saw overstressed mothers who eyed their children warily, as the youths scrambled over one another for the best swing seat. He saw couples sitting down, kissing and enjoying the bliss that often came with new love. He saw this, he saw that, and that, and that…and then his eyes fell on a young, dark-haired man wearing a pair of oversized black shorts, and a white Maromi tee-shirt. Around his neck was a heart-shaped locket.

As if by instinct, the young man suddenly looked up, right into the older man's eyes. The elder froze, unsure of how to react, but the younger man smiled, and got up.

----

**_Chat Room open: September 30_**

**Namekuji: How's it going, Kame?**

----

Kame blinked behind his sunglasses for a moment, before smiling and clapping Namekuji on the shoulder.

----

**Kame: I'm fine, thank you. Where's Fuu?**

----

Namekuji thought for a moment.

----

**Namekuji: She said she had to go to work tonight. Said that it's urgent. She promised that she'll be there tomorrow…for the big day!**

----

The two men looked around, their hopes rising whenever a grown woman passed their way, and their hopes falling whenever the woman went by them without a glance.

"Strange," Kame muttered after they waited forty minutes without any luck. "On the net, she didn't seem to be the kind of woman who keeps people waiting."

"May be she overslept," Namekuji said, his eyes still searching the park. "Or maybe she backed out."

The older man chuckled. "Well, that's perfectly understandable," he said. "If she changed her mind, I wouldn't blame her. It's never an easy thing to—what is it?"

Namekuji, who had been shaking his shoulder, pointed to a group of children at the swing set. In the midst of the toddlers was a young girl who, despite the heavy applications of makeup on her face, looked no older than fourteen.

She was very thin, probably too thin for a girl her age. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, with several strands falling over her eyes, and she was dressed in what had to be the miniest mini-skirt the two men had ever laid eyes on. It barely covered her private parts, and showed off her rear a little _too_ well. But what shocked Kame the most, what really got to him, was the fact that she was wearing a tight, pink tee-shirt. A tight, pink, _Maromi_ tee-shirt.

"Couldn't be," Kame said hurriedly as he tore his eyes away from the girl. "I mean, look at her! She's a child! She may be dressed a bit inappropriately, but she's still just a little girl. She can't be our Fuu. I mean, Fuu….Fuu is…er, Fuu is…" Kame thought for a moment, before turning to Namekuji with a worried look. "How is old is Fuu again?"

Namekuji shrugged, and the two turned back to the girl, who in turn, had just taken notice of _them_. She stared at them for a moment, tilting her head as her eyes traveled downward to their chests. Kame paled as her eyes slowly widened.

_Oh no…don't tell me…_

All of a sudden, her face brightened, and she began to run towards them, laughing merrily as she did so. "Kame!" she cried. "Namekuji! It's me! Fuu!"

_Oh my gods…_

The teen launched herself into Namekuji's arms, squeezing him around the waist as he patted her head and laughed nervously. "I'm so glad I found you two!" Fuu cried as she tightened her hold on him. "I was getting so worried that maybe you two left without me! I didn't want to do this alone…" She released Namekuji and turned to Kame, who looked at her with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "So," she remarked, giving him an up-and-down stare. "You're Kame, right? And the younger one is Namekuji, right?"

Kame couldn't answer. He was still in a state of shock. Namekuji on the other hand, didn't seem to be affected at all, and answered, "Yeah. I'm Namekuji."

Fuu smiled and turned to Kame. "I knew it. I knew you were old, Kame. The way you type on the net…it's so sophisticated. Only old people can type like _that_. So..." She crossed her arms and grinned at the two men. "Where're we gonna do this? I brought the fans, and some extra water…"

Kame didn't say anything. Tight-lipped and tense, he spun on his heel and began to walk out of the park as quickly as possible.

----

The good news: Namekuji was right behind him. The bad news: Fuu was as well.

As he quickened his pace, he couldn't help but be slightly mad. He thought that the younger man would have enough sense to try to ditch the girl as some point, or at least get the notion that he, _Kame_, was trying to ditch the girl. Instead, he heard the two of them chat as if they were both schoolgirls, talking about their plan and what not. Kame gritted his teeth as he walked around a corner. Fuu…Fuu was…a child!

He stopped abruptly and whirled around, glaring angrily at the pair behind him. His eye twitched as he saw Namekuji holding Fuu's hand, and he threw the young man an annoyed look before focusing his attention on Fuu. "Are you aware?" he snapped.

Fuu tilted her head. "Aware of…what?" she asked slowly.

"Of what you're doing! Are you insane? You are a child! You have no reason to just take your life!"

Fuu blinked for a moment before her features twisted in anger. "I have a reason! And don't call me a child! I've been through more things in fourteen years than most adults have been through their whole life!"

"Uh, guys? Let's not fight…" Namekuji tried to step in between them, only to be shoved aside by Kame.

"And what might that be?" Kame snarled. "That your boyfriend dumped you? That nobody seems to understand you? That you feel that your breasts aren't as big as they should be? Well, those are not reasons, child!"

"You don't see me asking you why you want to die!" Fuu yelled, her hands clenched into fists. "And those are not the reasons, by the way! Mind your own business!"

"Why you insolent little—"

"Kame!" Namekuji grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly. "Kame, just let it go! Come on, we came here to get away from stupid arguments like this! Look, I'm shocked at her age too, but if she has a reason, she has a reason, and I don't think we should interfere."

"But—"

"Kame, it's her decision. And we're not her family."

Kame opened his mouth to argue some more, but Namekuji gave him a hard look. "We're not her family," the young man said again. Kame stared in disbelief, first at Namekuji, and then at Fuu, whose eyes seemed to be watery despite her furious face. He tried to say something, he tried to argue, but he couldn't find the words. Finally, he shook himself free of Namekuji's hold and turned his back on the pair.

"Do whatever you want," he said angrily, and walked on. Namekuji sighed quietly and took Fuu's hand, pulling her along as he tried to loosen her clenched fingers.

The younger man tried not to think too much. It would all be over later, anyway.

----

**Chat Room open: August 4 **

**Fuu: I want to die, but I don't want to suffer…not much, anyway.**

**Namekuji: For death without pain, I heard that carbon monoxide poisoning was the way to go…that and maybe an overdose of sleeping pills.**

**Kame: If we're going to do that, then I know the perfect place. Fuu, bring some fans and some water. Namekuji, you bring the pills.**

----

The red coals hissed as Kame poured a small portion of water over them, and a large cloud of gray smoke filled the area. The trio immediately inhaled the smoke as deeply as they could, though Kame threw Fuu a disapproving look as they did so.

Namekuji reached into the pockets of his oversized shorts and produced three bottles of white pills, tossing one to both Kame and Fuu before opening his own bottle.

"Bottoms up," he said cheerfully as he popped three pills into his mouth and chewed it heartily. Kame followed suit, while Fuu popped the pills into her mouth, one by one.

"So…where'd you find this place?" Fuu asked as she looked around the abandoned building. Kame swallowed his pills and poured five more into his hand before speaking.

"It was condemned," he said roughly. "The city hospital used to use this place for storage until they got a deal for another building, in a closer area."

"How d'ya know all this?" Fuu asked curiously as she chewed another pill.

Kame didn't answer. He simply continued to consume his bottle of pills.

----

"So…when are the pills supposed to kick in?"

Kame covered his head with his coat. The three of them had decided to lie down after the pill consumption, Kame in the middle, Fuu and Namekuji on his sides. This was to let the drugs take their effect, but none of them felt any different, other than the fact that they felt more lightheaded than usual.

"If you'd stop yakking, maybe we can slip into unconsciousness much faster," Kame muttered nastily, his voice partially muffled by his coat. Unfortunately, Fuu heard him, and she was up and on him in half a second.

"What are you implying?" she asked, her voice cold. Kame wrapped the coat tighter around his head, half hoping that he would suffocate himself.

"I'm saying that you talk too much," he said through the coat. "Please just lie down so that we can all die in relative peace."

Fuu frowned, but decided to let it go. She stared at the still-burning coals for a moment, not saying anything, before she snapped her head back to Kame and pulled his coat off of his head.

"Do we really want to go like this?" she asked. Kame opened his eyes, and narrowed them at Fuu.

"What in Heaven's name are you talking about?"

"I mean, think about it! When they find us, they're just going to find three dead bodies. Then what? People will remember us as three stupid suicide victims…where's the glory in that? Do we really want to die like _this_?"

Kame sat up, his lips thinning. "You were the one who begged us to let you come along for this. Now you want to back out? You can't just change your mind in a moment's notice, child. Death is not something to be toyed with!"

"He's right," Namekuji said quietly, forcing himself up. "You can't just change your mind like this, Fuu."

"But…but think about it! We all came here for a reason, and I _know_ that they're not honorable, otherwise we would have found some other way to deal with it…but I really don't want to die as a pr—I mean, I don't want to die with the reputation I have now. If I'm going to die, I want to die as I do something honorable. Wouldn't that be better?" Fuu gave Namekuji a pleading look. "Wouldn't it?"

Namekuji bit his lip. "She does have a good point…"

"For the love of God!" Kame yelled. "Are you insane as well? We already took the pills, we're going to die any minute now! It's too late to do anything honorable, damn it! Let's just die and get it over with!"

Fuu growled angrily and stood up, placing her hands at her hips. "Kame, I want to die honorably!"

Kame groaned and fell back down on the floor. "Damn it, it's too late for that!"

"Oh please! If we were really dying, we shouldn't be able to argue like this! I don't think the pills worked."

"Yeah Kame," Namekuji agreed. "I don't feel any different either…"

"Fine! If you two want to give up, be my guest! Just put the boards back up on the wall as you leave, so that _I_ can die, at least!"

Namekuji frowned. "Kame, come on…"

"Leave me alone, Namekuji."

"Come on Kame! Don't die like _this_…" Fuu touched his arm, only to have him shrug her hand off.

"Leave me alone, Fuu."

"Kame!"

"Kame!"

"I said leave me alone!"

Had they been quiet, they would have noticed an increasing rumbling coming from outside. Before any of them knew it, the entire front half of the building came down, and the trio quickly scrambled backwards as the late morning light and bits of debris poured over them. Both Fuu and Namekuji held on to Kame, who stared helplessly as their carbon monoxide vanished into the air, as the yellow bulldozer continued to demolish the building around them.

Had he been a man of less class, he would have sworn his head off at this. He didn't even feel half dead yet.

----

"Gee…talk about timing…"

The trio walked away from the newly established construction site, Kame's head hanging slightly as he tried not to think about the failed attempt. Four black crows flew above their heads, cawing loudly as if they were laughing merrily at them.

"I can't believe it," Kame m uttered. "Of all days to finally bring that no good building down, they had to choose the one day it mattered…"

"Cheer up, Kame!" Namekuji said as they passed by a group of scantily dressed women, all crowing around a car belonging to a scruffy-looking gentleman. Neither of the two men noticed Fuu turning pale, nor did they notice the fact that she hid herself behind Namekuji's lanky form as they went by the women.

Finally, the three found an empty, shaded street bench and sat down, one trying to recover his dashed spirit while the other two tried to cheer him up.

"Well...it wasn't that bad," Namekuji said cheerfully. "I mean, we can always try another time, when there aren't any bulldozers nearby."

"Yeah!" Fuu agreed, and took Kame's arm. "We can focus on how to die with dignity now!" Kame frowned, and gave Fuu a glare, but she held onto his arm nevertheless, sticking her tongue at him.

----

**Chat Room open: July 24.**

**Kame: Say…you remember CATT? He was a regular here a few months ago…**

**Namekuji: Yeah. He wanted to kill himself too. Whatever happened to him?**

----

Kame walked ahead, with the young pair close behind him. He thought for a moment, before a smirk spread across his features. "You two remember, don't you? CATT wanted to die with a purpose too. He would talk about it all the time…an interesting person, he was."

----

**Chat Room open: February 10**

**CATT: It's not enough just to die, you know. You have to do it with class. Make the people remember you, make them sorry you ever died.**

**Kame: Hm...well, it's not as if we're all heroes. It's not easy to make society sorry for you.**

**CATT: True…but if you're in a hurry, then you should just fake a scene and then die doing so.**

**Kame: Are you serious?**

**CATT: Dead serious. If you really want to make them cry, do something drastic, like jumping off a building in front of a couple of people after screaming your life story. The death itself should be pretty painless because you'll lose consciousness on the way down.**

----

It hadn't been difficult to find the right location. All they had to do was look for the tallest building.

It was an office building, one of many dedicated to Ichi Incorporated. Several workers, all dressed in similar business suits, stood outside the building, some gulping down their overcooled coffee in Maromi mugs while others took long drags from their cigarettes. All of them looked overly tired. All of them had the same stressed look in their eyes.

This didn't seem to bother Fuu very much; she paraded past the workers rapidly, with Namekuji and Kame in tow. While Namekuji found her energetic nature pleasing, Kame was very much bothered by the child's over enthusiasm at jumping off a building to her death. He knew he shouldn't judge, but it seemed very…wrong. As Fuu ran ahead to hold the oncoming elevator, Kame quietly pulled Namekuji to the side.

"Here's the plan, boy," he whispered to the younger man. "When I give the signal, I'll jump. Then, you come down after me while pushing the girl back to the rooftop and away from the edge. She'll be safe on the building, and we'll be dead. When she sees our splattered brains on the concrete pavement, she'll reasonably change her mind, and will want to live."

Namekuji turned green and pulled away. "That sounds…kinds gross."

"It _is_ gross, boy. What'd you think would happen if you jumped off a high building?"

"Well, did you have to describe it like that? And why do I have to push her back? She _wants_ to die, Kame."

The older man frowned, before he slapped Namekuji upside the head. "She's a _child_, boy. It's just not right, what she's doing. I mean, we're older. We understand life more. Her…she can move on."

"But—"

"Kame!" Fuu yelled as she struggled to hold the doors of a nearby elevator open. "Namekuji! What're you doing? Let's go!"

----

The elevator stopped four floors down from the rooftop, so they had to walk the rest of the way. In the dark stairways, Fuu led the trio, pulling along a smiling Namekuji and a panting Kame.

It was official for Kame. He was too old for this sort of strenuous exercise.

Fuu suddenly let go of his hand, and Kame nearly fell backwards down the stairs as a result. He glared at the child angrily as she pushed open a large metal door, allowing the sun's rays to hit him smack dab in the face, blinding him temporarily despite his black shades.

"Agh! My eyes! My poor eyes!"

"Aw, don't be such a baby! You're wearing sunglasses!" Fuu grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out onto the rooftop, where several crows had already gathered at the edges of the roof. Kame blinked for a minute, trying to get his vision back, and it took him a while before the spots disappeared from his eyes.

_Damn that Fuu…_

"Oh wow!" Fuu exclaimed as she bent over the edge of the roof. "The view is so cool from up here! Kame, Namekuji, you have to see this! I think I can see my house!"

"Stop bending over like that!" Kame scolded as he yanked Fuu away from the edge. "You'll fall over!"

Fuu cocked her head to the side. "Isn't that what we want?"

"…"

"So how're we gonna go about this?" Fuu asked, taking advantage of Kame's silence. "Do we start screaming our sob stories now, or when we're standing at the edge?"

Kame blinked behind his shades before scratching his beard nervously. "Err, I'm not really sure. If we stand on the edge first, we might accidentally fall over before we're done."

"Well," said Fuu, "if we wait too long, someone hearing our rants might try to pull us away from the edge before we get the chance to jump."

"So what do you want us to do?" Kame snapped, his irritation getting the better of him. "You're the one who wanted to 'die with dignity', not me!"

Fuu frowned. "So now it's my fault again?"

"Well, Namekuji and I were ready to die in peace, but they _you_ had to go—"

"Guys!" Namekuji wailed as he grabbed Kame's arm. "Not again! Stop fighting already!"

"BUTT OUT!" Kame and Fuu screamed.

As the three of them fought, another man, dressed in a business suit similar to all the other workers in the building, trudged out onto the rooftop with a listless look on his face. He took no notice of the girl or the two men. He slowly walked towards the edge of the roof and hoisted himself up.

"You stupid child!" Kame bellowed as the man tottered on the edge. "You're throwing away your life!"

"You're one to talk!" Fuu screamed back. "You're trying to kill yourself too! Don't you _dare_ judge me, you old hypocrite!"

"Why I ought to—"

"Sir!" Both Kame and Fuu turned to Namekuji, who was running frantically towards the man at the edge. "Sir!" Namekuji cried out again. "What are you doing? Don't do it!"

The man tottered again, more violently this time, and as Kame and Fuu began to run towards them, Namekuji leapt forward to grab him…just as the man swayed once more before his feet finally tilted over the edge.

"No!" Namekuji leaned over the edge and made a desperate effort to grab the man, but could only watch in horror as the man fell down, down, down…

CLUNK! The trio cringed as the man hit the flagpole on his way down. CLANG! The man smashed into one of the air conditioners that stuck out partially from the building. Finally…SPLAT! The man hit the pavement below headfirst. His face was smashed against the bloody pavement, while bits and pieces of his brain scattered all over the once clean sidewalk. Passerby screamed and ran, while others, especially those who had unfortunately been near the man, stood there, watching with shocked, repulsed, and mortified expressions.

Up above, Kame, Namekuji, and Fuu stared. Their faces were pale, and their expressions were grim. They were too shocked to do _anything_, and it was a long while before one of them spoke.

"So," Fuu said shakily. "I guess that's what you look like when you fall off a building."

Neither Kame nor Namekuji answered her.

----

The crows flew nosily overhead.

"It's hard to die, isn't it?"

Kame looked at Fuu, who was walking slowly alongside him. Her eyes were dim and sad, and Kame looked away, feeling old memories scratch at the surface of his mind.

Darn it, the last thing he needed was to remember the incident. He swore to himself he wouldn't try to think about…

"These are hard times," Kame said finally. "The Grim Reaper is so busy that he doesn't even have time to come for us."

"It's not fair," Fuu whispered. "We wanted to die first…"

Kame sighed. He looked to Namekuji for support, but the younger man's eyes were clouded, distant, as if he was off in his own little world. Namekuji's hand was clutched tightly around his locket, and Kame sighed again.

Failure was making everyone pensive.

----

**Chat Room open: February 19**

**Kame: I've been thinking about what you said, CATT. It intrigues me…**

**CATT: I knew it would. **

**  
Kame: So. Are there any other ways? Just asking.**

**CATT: Well, other than jumping off a building, you can try getting hit by a car, or jumping in front of a train in front of a crowd. You don't have to tell your life story here, but make sure you look real desperate before you throw yourself in front of the car/train.**

----

Fuu frowned as she leaned against the bench seat. "I don't know. Getting hit by a train sounds just as messy as jumping off a building. And sometimes you don't die if you get hit by a car…it's not reliable."

Kame frowned.

----

**Kame: Any other ways?**

**CATT: Well, you could try poisoning yourself. Put some cyanide or sleeping pills in soda, and then chug it down in a popular fast-food area. The crowd will definitely freak at the convulsions you have before you die, and you're bound to get some sympathy. The best part—they won't even write it as a suicide.**

----

"NO!" Fuu yelled. "I'm not going to pin some poor fast-food restaurant as murderers! That's totally mean! Besides," Fuu sniffed, "I don't like soda anyway."

----

**Kame: You seem to know an awful lot about sympathy-suicides. How do you know all this? And are there any other ways?**

**CATT: Well, they say you should hang yourself in the _middle_ of a room, for the extra drama!**

----

Fuu gulped and unconsciously touched her throat. "I-I'll pass," she said shakily. "It…might hurt."

The older man raised an amused brow as the corners of his lips turned upwards into a genuine smile. He slowly began to chuckle, quietly at first, before it grew into a laugh, and then a hearty guffaw.

Namekuji and Fuu stared at him in shock; he was clearly in hysterics. Neither of them knew what to say to Kame, for up until this point, they didn't even know he could _chuckle_, let alone laugh. They waited nervously for him to calm down, and when he did, they were slightly put off by the large grin on his face.

"Let's go," Kame said at last, walking ahead in a fast pace.

"Go…where?" Namekuji asked, speeding up slightly to keep up with the older man.

"To the bridge. We're going to go swimming."

"Wait!" Fuu protested as she ran along, "I didn't bring my swimsuit!"

----

**Chat Room open: February 24**

**CATT: Be careful if you decide to jump a bridge! If you jump when there are too many people around, the cops will be on you in a second. Time it right; make sure there are _some_ people, but not enough to stop you. And make sure there are no cops around.**

----

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down! London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady! London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling—"

"Would you stop that?" Kame snapped. "It's annoying."

"Oh, come on Kame!" Fuu pouted. "It lightens the mood! And it kinda fits with what we're gonna do anyway!"

"Yeah Kame," Namekuji agreed, holding Fuu's hand as they walked behind Kame. "Don't be such a spoilsport. It's nice to sing."

Kame sniffed. "Well, cut it out anyway. I'm getting a headache."

Suddenly, a car whizzed by his side, making Kame jump. He scooted further onto the bridge sidewalk, making sure to stay away from the speeding vehicles all the while. When he reached the middle of the bridge, he immediately hoisted himself up onto the edge.

"Hey!" Fuu cried. "Don't start without us!" She and Namekuji quickly ran to Kame's side, where she immediately scrambled up on the edge after Kame. He did not look at all pleased.

"Once again," he said somberly, "I ask you to reconsider."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

Namekuji was about to hoist himself up onto the edge, when he noticed three people walking on the other side of the bridge. One was an old man, one was a younger man, and one was a little girl.

It was kind of like his little group.

Namekuji turned to Kame and Fuu. "Hey guys!" he said, pointing at the three people on the other side of the bridge. "There's our audience. Let's get started!"

Kame nodded, before crying out in a horribly fake voice, "Oh, woe is me! My usefulness in this world seems to have come to an end! The shame! The unimaginable, unfathomable shame!"

"Yes!" Fuu joined in, her voice equally as fake, "I too, have had a life of shame! I don't wish to live anymore!"

"Let the world see what it had brought the three of us too!" Kame declared, waving his arms around overdramatically. Fuu had to duck to avoid his arms as it swept back, nearly pushing her back onto the bridge, away from the edge. She frowned and grabbed his arm when she had the chance.

"Be careful!" she hissed. "You're going to push me back!"

"Sorry," Kame whispered insincerely. "I got…_overexcited_."

Suddenly, Namekuji jumped onto the bridge with them, his face slightly panicked. "Those three people are coming this way!" he yelped. "We have to jump _now_!"

"Now?" Kame blanched. "But I'm not done!"

"We don't have time!" Namekuji insisted. "We have to jump…_now_!"

"Then why are we still talking about this?" Fuu said. Without warning, she pushed Kame off of the edge.

"Oh!" Kame, in surprise, grabbed Fuu's arm. Fuu, unable to hold his weight, grabbed onto Namekuji's shirt. Namekuji, who had nothing else to grab onto, screamed as they fell towards the dark, murky waters below.

"This is it!" Kame screamed. "Goodbye!"

"Wahoo! This is fun!" Fuu shrieked.

Namekuji couldn't saw anything. Looking back, he saw the faces of the old man, the young man, and the little girl as they leaned over the edge. They looked as if they felt…sorry for them. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

SPLAT. Squish. Ugh, where was that horrible smell coming from?

"Ew!"

Fuu?

"MY GOD!"

Kame?

Namekuji opened his eyes slowly, not knowing what to expect. Then he immediately sat up and shrieked.

He was sitting in a boat, which had miraculously sailed under the bridge right when they had jumped off. But the boat, in turn, had been carrying loads and loads of…

"Trash!" Fuu shrieked, her makeup ruined by the garbage water streaming all over her face. "We've landed in a boat full of _trash_! How the hell can that even _happen_, especially considering what we were trying to do?"

Kame was hopping all over the place. He was trying to get the garbage off of his suit and out of his white hair, but was only succeeding in smearing the substance all over his body. His shades were gone; they probably fell of when they had jumped. At any rate, they were gone. The old man wouldn't be able to hide behind them anymore.

Trying to ignore the black birds that flew over his head, Namekuji reached around his neck for his locket, but he only grabbed air. Namekuji looked down and panicked—his locket was gone!

Namekuji bent down and dug through the piles of trash like a madman. He grabbed an anything shiny, and tore through anything that had a hint of gold to it.

In one of the piles further away, the locket lay open. Inside was a picture of him and a child. A little boy. They were locked in a loving embrace, both with big grins on their faces.

Both of them were completely naked.

----

The boat stopped at a fishing village hours later, when evening fell.

Kame, Namekuji, and Fuu had scrambled off the boat as quickly as they could, trying not to think about how much they reeked. They didn't bother to thank the driver, and they immediately headed for one of the inns nearby, only wanting a hot bath and some food.

The crows flew nosily over their heads.

----

**Namekuji: Preparation?**

**CATT: Yeah! Before you die, you have to be both physically and mentally ready to cast off your soul into…wherever it's gonna go! **

----

Kame sank under the large hot tub's warm depths and sighed. "Ah. This is the life."

"Well, it beats having stinky garbage water all over your face," Fuu commented as she scrubbed her face thoroughly. She paused for a moment to make sure the towel was wrapped firmly around her before grabbing the shampoo and pouring half the contents on her head.

Kame turned to Fuu and studied her face as she washed. After a while she caught him staring and glared at him. "What?" she snapped.

"Nothing. You just look better without all that ridiculous makeup. It's a nice change."

Fuu blinked for a moment, before frowning again and turning her back on Kame.

"It just hasn't been our day, has it?" Namekuji asked after he resurfaced. "I mean, we've failed at almost every attempt we've made at killing ourselves, not to mention that we've done nothing but argue all day…"

"Don't say that Namekuji!" Fuu cried as she washed her hair. "You're a great guy! And anyway, you're not the one I have a problem with." She shot a nasty look at Kame, who scoffed and sank under the water.

----

**Chat Room open: March 4**

**CATT: I'm going to kill myself too…but first I have to get --eihj3….the Holy Warrior…00-kfnt,….what is---I**

**Fuu: Are you alright?**

**  
CATT: osuiw—444sdoi809….--GOUMA!-0?...dsreturned078376+08993,. Waiting… shgh…….666….**

_**CATT has signed off.**_

----

"Bottoms up!"

All dressed in white robes, the two men clinked their beer bottles together as Fuu toasted with her soda pop. The three took a long drink before quickly polishing off their bottles with a sigh of content. In the background, the television provided by the inn showed the upcoming news.

"More attacks had been reported by civilians, and all appear to have been committed by the same boy. Dubbed by some folks as the new "Lil' Slugger" people are asked to be careful when sighting a child wearing gold in-line skates, a baseball cap, and holding a gold metal baseball bat. Although police say that it is a rogue Shonen Bat member, unofficial sources say that this may not be the case."

"Wow," Namekuji whispered.

"In other news, a little girl, who had been a victim of hospital malpractice, has just been buried by her parents earlier today. The two express their sorrow and their bitterness at the doctor, who had mysteriously disappeared after paying a settlement—"

Kame shut the television off.

"Hey! I was watching that!" Fuu protested. Kame scoffed, and opened another beer, chugging half of it in one gulp. When he finished, he slammed the half-empty bottle on the table and shook his head.

"Lil' Slugger," he said, his voice becoming tinted with hints of drunkenness. "Have you two heard about the boy?" he asked, looking at both Fuu and Namekuji.

"Isn't he an urban legend?" Namekuji replied. "The Shonen Bat gang was based upon the legend, wasn't it? And then there were those two boys who committed suicide in jail…they were part of the gang, weren't they?"

"They were part of the gang, but they didn't commit suicide," Kame corrected. "They were killed by Lil' Slugger. And you know the worst part? One of those boys was our own CATT."

"CATT!" Namekuji and Fuu exchanged shocked glances before turning back to Kame. "How?"

"They say the only way Lil' Slugger could have gotten in was through the walls…or at least, that's how the legend goes…"

Fuu cocked her head curiously. "You mean, an urban legend came back to life?"

"Supposedly." Kame smirked and lowered his face to Fuu's while deepening his voice to an eerie growl. "He comes to those who are emotionally cornered, and will free you from your own paranoia…whether it is death or a simple blow to the head doesn't matter to him…"

Fuu eeped and backed away from Kame, who leaned back and laughed. "I was just kidding," he said. "It's just a legend. I mean, if he really did exist, he would have come for us ages ago. God knows how long _we've_ been cornered…"

"Yeah." The three stared at the table.

"Say," Fuu said thoughtfully, "wouldn't it be kinda cool to get this kid? I mean, I know he's not real and all, but if he was, we could get him, and turn him in. Or at least get killed trying to do so."

"What and idea," Kame muttered. "It'll never happen."

Silence fell.

"CATT's lucky," Namekuji said finally. "He's already dead."

The three stared at each other for a moment before they all leaned their foreheads against the table.

"I'm so jealous," they whispered.

----

**Chat Room open: October 2nd**

**ANT: Lil' Slugger. He's one person, yet he's something else entirely. Is he human or demon? A child or a monster? Don't let him get to your heart…don't let him deceive you.**

----

The three lay on the floor, with blankets and pillows neatly arranged as they all simultaneously turned over and moaned.

"I'm so jealous."

In the distance, a loud crash resonated from the room several doors down.

"Wha' was tha'?" Namekuji asked, his voice muffled by the fact that he was facedown on the pillow.

Kame didn't open his eyes. "We're in a remote village miles away from the city. Maybe it's a weasel."

"Ew!" Fuu cried, covering her face.

Someone screamed, and frantic footsteps echoed louder and louder as it approached their room.

"Or maybe…a bear came down, smelling the fish."

"No!" Fuu turned and curled into the fetal position.

CRACK! Someone cried out in pain as he slumped to the floor. The light turned on just outside their room, and they heard the man groan as another sickening crack followed, and then…

A golden, bent bat suddenly tore through their door, and the three of them sat up in surprise. Fuu, who was nearest to the door, scrambled backwards as Kame crept up to touch the bat.

"What is it?" she asked shakily.

"It's a bat," Kame said slowly as the bat slowly withdrew from their room. For a moment, none of them spoke. Then they all stared at each other with wide eyes.

"A BAT?"

Kame tore the door open, just as a boy was about to leave. At the sound of the door opening, he had turned, and caught sight of the three staring at him in amazement and wonder.

He was wearing a half sleeve hoodie with a black shirt underneath, with a pair of cargo shorts that came to his knees. A red baseball cap covered his shaggy brown hair, half shadowing his elfish face. Golden kneepads peeked out from under his shorts. Golden in-line skates covered his feet.

And in his hands…was a twisted, golden baseball bat.

"It's him!" the three cried at once. "It's Lil' Slugger!"

"Oh cool!" Fuu exclaimed, looking him over. "Are you the real deal kid? Are you—mmph!" Kame clamped a furious hand over Fuu's mouth, and stared back at Lil' Slugger, who was grinning and raising his bat—when all of a sudden he stopped.

He stared at them, his eyes widening as if he had never seen people like them before in his life. Kame noticed Namekuji getting up and slowly making his way towards the boy, and he noticed the boy taking a step backwards, as if from fear and uncertainty.

"Oh no…" he heard the boy whisper. "Not again…"

"Lil' Slugger!"

Kame turned and saw three people running towards Lil' Slugger, an old man, a younger man, and a little girl. Kame's eyes widened; they were the same people he met on the bridge!

"Lil' Slugger!" they cried. "Free us!" At this they boy became truly frightened; he turned on his heel and began to skate for all he was worth out of the inn.

"We can't let him get away!" Fuu cried, wiggling out of Kame's hold. "We have to catch him! Come on guys!" She pulled Namekuji and Kame out of the room, robes and all, and dragged them down the stairs and she chased the trio already chasing Lil' Slugger.

"Forget about it!" Fuu screamed as she ran with the two men in tow. "He's _ours_!"

"Do you feel an all-night chase coming on?" Namekuji asked Kame as Fuu dragged them out of the inn and into the night.

----

It wasn't until dawn when they finally lost Lil' Slugger and the strange trio. Exhausted and weary, the three plopped down on the sandy beach as they tried not to think about their aching muscles.

"Come back Lil' Slugger!" Fuu whined as she lay on the sand. Namekuji, who was sitting next to her, smiled and gave her a playful punch on the cheek.

"We were close, weren't we? The next time we see him, we'll get him for sure."

"You think?"

"Yeah. Then we can all die in peace."

"Yeah…"

Kame watched the two, sighing as he watched the rising sun cast a long shadow over a passing seagull. He looked over Namekuji and Fuu as the sun hit them…but that was it. There was no shadow. None at all.

Kame felt the blood drain from his face…or was it still blood? He looked down between his legs, hoping to find some darkness there, but nothing. He had no shadow. None at all. Was this even possible?

Loud cawing reached his ears, and Kame tried to cover them in a desperate attempt to block out the sound. Where did all those crows come from? Why were they following them? He stepped back. No…what did this mean? He turned around. What was happening? He ran, only dimly aware of Fuu and Namekuji yelling after him. What was going on? Was he dreaming? Was he even—

He ran into the vicinity of the beach hotels. He saw people; he ran up to them and tried to speak to them, but they didn't answer, nor did they give any indication that they heard _anything._ Kame was mortified. He stepped back…and bumped into something solid.

He turned around, and found himself face-to-face with the old man from the trio he saw yesterday. He froze. The other man stared at him for a moment, before smiling kindly.

"It's shocking, isn't it?" he asked. "I was too, when I first found out…"

Kame couldn't speak. How was this man able to talk to him? Was he also…

"It's been over forty years since I killed myself. Since then, me and Zebra and Kamome…we've been trying to find Lil' Slugger, so he'd free us. But he always runs." The old man sighed and placed a reassuring hand on Kame's shoulder. "Don't push them away," he said. "They're all you've got now. They're your family."

Kame blinked.

"Be nicer to that girl, will ya? I can tell just by looking at her that she never had an easy life. And I can see that she's becoming attached to you and that other guy."

It took some effort, but Kame nodded. The old man smiled again, and walked away, disappearing into the crowd within moments.

Kame stood there, frozen, until he felt something tackle him from around the waist. He looked down and saw Fuu, with one arm around his waist with a worried look on her clean face.

"What'dya think you were doing, running off like that?" she scolded. "You made me and Namekuji worried sick! Right?" She turned to Namekuji, who nodded in agreement. Satisfied, she turned back to Kame. "Don't do that again! We can't die until we catch Lil' Slugger together!"

"Lil' Slugger…together?" Kame whispered.

"Duh. Me and Namekuji decided that we're going to get Lil' Slugger, even if it's the last thing we do. There's a lot of dignity in catching a criminal! What'dya say, Kame?" Fuu gave him a hopeful smile. "Come with?"

Kame blinked for a moment, before turning to Namekuji, who also had the same hopeful smile. Finally, it hit him.

"Family," Kame said quietly.

"Hm?" Fuu and Namekuji exchanged curious glances.

"We're family now. We're together, and it's always going to stay this way…"

"Just until we die," Fuu corrected. "I don't think I can stand being around an old coot like you for the rest of my life…"

Kame stared at Fuu for a moment, before bending down until their eyes were level. Now it was Fuu's turn to blink; she unconsciously stepped back. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

Kame didn't answer immediately. He stared at Fuu's face for a while longer before finally saying, " The ferry."

"Hm?"

"Let's take the ferry. We'll go to every island in Japan, and look for Lil' Slugger along the way. We can achieve our goal, and have fun at the same time. What do you think?"

Fuu's eyes widened, before she touched Kame's forehead in concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Do you have a fever or something? Why're you being so nice?"

Kame smiled and stood up, looking at both Fuu and Namekuji. "I had a change of heart," he said. "I should…lighten up. It makes the mood better. Besides…why _not_ have fun? We're going to be together for a while, so we might as well enjoy each other's company, right?"

"I guess so," Fuu replied. She smiled. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go catch that ferry!"

As she dashed off, Namekuji turned to Kame. "What's your real reason?" he asked the older man. "It's…unlike you. And we're not even family."

Kame shook his head. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "Whether we like it or not, we're a family now. I must say, I don't think I can leave you two even if I tried. And you two have…grown on me. I suppose that makes us a family, this attraction."

"A family…"

"Yes. A family."

The crows flew overhead, cawing loudly as the men rushed to catch up with their female companion.

----

**Read and review. (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!)**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…taking a legend from its true form and twisting it into individual fantasies is a common trait for all dreamers, and for all those who wish to seek the path of salvation. The Golden Fox has been split. The autumn leaf writes of redemption for that which can never be redeemed, and the rose loves the very notion of love. The peacock, on falling behind, has figures and caricatures popping from its beak, and on a deadly wish, realizes the price of its desires…and then…**


	9. Did You Hear?

Disclaimer: I don't own PA.

A/N:……………..I didn't particularly enjoy "ETC" in the anime, so I have many doubts about this chapter. But if you liked that episode, then by all means, read on. The format really stinks here, though. But this chapter was needed, and later on I'll explain why.

Some of the stories were inspired by famous movies. I just took them and adapted them to my needs, but I expect no money from the story, so please don't sue me. I'm quite poor.

I'm also making fun of some plotlines I constantly see on this site. Don't take it offensively, but this chapter is largely based on my personal opinions, and if the content bothers you, then I am truly sorry.

Note that if you see this:

0 + 0 + 0 + 0

Then there is a break within the _rumor _stories.

WARNING! Chapter contains mini-stories with adult content and intentionally horrible plots! Content was so horrible, I had to edit like hell again! You have been warned!

Thanks to all reviewers. I hope you're all still with me. (Please, please stay with me! Updates are taking longer and longer because of school! Please forgive me!)

**_Chapter nine: Did You Hear?_**

"Did you hear? I heard _he_ showed up again."

"You mean Lil' Slugger?"

"Who else?"

Lifting her eyes from the display case of Maromi watches, Kujaku turned her head towards her senior co-workers as they huddled together for their afternoon coffee break. Picking up her own coffee-filled Styrofoam cup, she walked towards the three elder saleswomen and stood just outside their circle, being near but not quite part of their group as she listened closely to their topic.

"It was _horrible_, what that boy did!" Bara exclaimed, shaking her head forlornly. "I can hardly understand why he did it. That poor man…"

"From the fishing village?" Kujaku piped up. "Are you talking about that guest who was attacked two weeks ago at that old fishing village?"

The three older women stared at her for a moment, as if surprised to hear her speak, before they all let out high-pitched giggles. Kujaku blushed. Had she said something wrong? She felt a hand pat her shoulder, and she turned to see the amused face of Akiha, the eldest of the women.

"You're _new_, aren't you dear?" Akiha drawled, her tone stuffy and pompous. "You don't have to try so hard, darling. We don't expect a homely little child like _you_ to know much."

Kujaku's blush deepened, and she lowered her head in embarrassment as the other women stifled several snickers.

"Anyhoo ladies," Akiha continued, "did you hear about Ms. Lee?"

"You mean the Korean woman whose daughter was found dead?" Kanejon asked. Akiha nodded.

"The very same," she said. She looked around for a moment, as if checking for eavesdroppers, and bent closer to the other women, her head slightly lowered. "She was found in a horrible condition, you know. _Deflowered_."

The women gasped, Kujaku included. "How?" Bara exclaimed, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "What happened?"

Akiha smirked, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I did hear this interesting rumor. But you ladies won't tell anyone…will you?" She stared hard at Kanejon and Bara, and they immediately waved their hands in the air, as if dismissing the very idea.

"Of course not, of course not!" they chirped. They then turned to Kujaku, who very slowly waved her hand in the same manner.

"No," she said quietly. "Never."

Akiha seemed pleased with her response, and bent closer to the women again. "Well," she said, "here's what I heard."

----

It was almost like clockwork.

Her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision as they threatened to spill out. She tried to keep them inside, away from her mother's sight, but it was no use. The wet drops slid down her cheeks towards the floor, splashing against the remains of the abysmal math exam that lay torn and crumpled at her feet.

Great...now her mother was going to yell at her for crying, too.

"You think you have the right to _cry_?" her mother hissed. She towered over her daughter menacingly and leaned over the girl, her face red with fury. "You have no goddamn fucking right. I spent thousands to get you those tutors, those extra study sessions, and this is how you repay me? By getting _twenty fucking percent_ on your tests!"

"I-I'm sorry," In-Young whimpered, trying at all costs not to make a move that would anger her mother further. "I-I'll do—I'll do better. I p-promise…"

In-Young heard her mother inhale loudly, and the girl shut her eyes tight. Normally her mother wasn't a violent person, not physically anyway. But when she got angry enough, In-Young didn't know what to expect. Her eyes flew open, however, when her mother's voice came out in a soft, low tone.

"You'll do better. Is that what I heard? That you'll do better?" All In-Young could do was nod as her mother gave her a strange look.

"I-I promise mommy. I'll honor you, I p-promise."

Her mother's eye twitched slightly. "But _dear_," she said in the same soft voice. "Isn't that what you told me _last_ time? That you would do better?"

In-Young froze. She involuntarily moved back as her mother took a step towards her. _Oh gods, I'm going to die…_

"You _always_ say that you'll do better," her mother continued softly as she continued to advance towards her retreating daughter. "You _always_ say that you'll honor me. So what's going on, dear?" She stopped her advance when In-Young backed herself against the wall. She bent forward, so that her aging face was only inches away from her daughter's. "Where are the better test grades? Where's the proof that you aren't some _worthless piece of crap_!" She spat out the last words so harshly that bits of spittle hit In-Young's terrified face.

The girl didn't wipe it off, however. Fear numbed her too much for that. Instead, her legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground, scared senseless as she curled into a fetal position on the floor. Her mother stared at her withered form in disgust before she turned her back on In-Young and left the room. The girl sobbed as she heard the door to her mother's room slam shut.

She stayed there, listening to the clock ticking quietly on the wall. Hours seemed to pass before she finally sat up, drawing her knees to her chest as the last of her tears slid down her face.

"I-it's not my fault," she whispered, wiping her face with her sleeves. "I-I tried s-so hard…I c-c-can't help it if I f-forget things…" Her hands clenched as she bit back a scream, squeezing her eyes shut as another wave of despair racked her body. She couldn't live like this. She had to escape. Escape…her mind clicked.

Escape!

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It happened in a matter of moments. One minute she was rising from the floor, the next she was running through the streets as fast as she could, with nothing but the purse in her hands and the clothes on her back.

Every now and then she shivered; it was cold, and her school uniform didn't provide much warmth. But she was determined to make it to the train station. She was determined to get away from her mother.

_Keep going_, In-Young thought as she turned a sharp corner. _You're almost there. Keep going—_

THUMP.

_Ow._

In-Young crashed into something so large and heavy that for a moment, she thought she ran into a wall. When she looked up, she realized that she had run straight into a man. A very tall, very wiry, and very creepy looking man.

"Uh…excuse me, sir," In-Young apologized, and tried to go around him, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her way with an eerie grin on his face.

"What's a sweet girl like you doin' out at a time like this?" the man asked huskily. He grabbed In-Young by the arm and yanked her to him in one motion. Panicking, In-Young immediately tried to break free, but the man's grip was strong. "It's a dangerous world, ya know," he whispered, his grimy cheek brushing against her pale one. In-Young could smell the liquor from his breath. "Girl like you? You could get hurt."

"P-please release me sir," In-Young said in a trembling voice. "I really have to get home…" She bit her lip as the man trailed a hand up her thigh. She should have worn pants, she should have worn pants, she should have worn pants…

The man suddenly pushed her into a dark alley, and forced her onto the ground. Straddling her, he grabbed her blouse and ripped it open, buttons flying in all directions as a result. "I'll let you go," he whispered. "After we have some fun."

In-Young screamed as the man's mouth descended on her own.

----

"Oh my!" Kujaku cried, covering her face with her hands. "Please, don't describe it! It's not right! It's not moral! It's not even possible!"

Akiha frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice questioning and cold.

"How would you even know how the…bad thing…occurred? You weren't there!"

"I heard it from a friend who lives in an apartment close to Ms. Lee," Akiha snapped. "Now don't interrupt."

"But—" Kujaku started. Akiha immediately gave her a glare so piercing that Kujaku shut her mouth, and lowered her head.

----

Pain. Darkness. Hurt.

It seemed like ages passed. The man had taken her in every vile way he could think of, and had not been gentle with her at all. Her vaginal blood soaked the ground in the alley, filling the air with a metallic smell.

Anger. Terror. Rage.

It had not been at all pleasurable. The agony of a foreign object ripping through her most sacred place…the man's cruel laughter sounding in her ears as he thrusted again and again as she pleaded for him to stop…

Her friends were total idiots. How on earth could they even _imagine_ forced intercourse as pleasurable? What in God's name even gave them the idea that a beautiful emotion like love could come from something so dark and vile and lust-ridden? They were supposed to be smarter than her, they got much better grades than her, but they believed…they thought….

Naked. Cold. Alone.

In-Young shivered as the winds blew over her battered body. Her torn clothes were tossed aside into an unsightly heap, and her purse was thrown into a corner, its contents stolen and long gone.

That man…that man had…had…

She couldn't use the word. She couldn't even _think_ the word, let alone say it. She was defiled. Disgraced. If her mother saw her now…if anyone saw her now…

Death. Death was the only escape. But she couldn't kill herself. She was a religious girl. Suicide was wrong. Then what? It wasn't as if anyone would just come up and murder her.

Then again, it wasn't as if anyone would just come up to her and…and…

Goddammit, why couldn't she just use the damn word?

She couldn't stay here. Not like this. Not in this alley where she was…was…

Unable to stand on her feet, or even kneel, she dragged herself over the cold pavement, getting scratches all over her worn body. She had to find help. Any help. She had to get out of this situation; she didn't care how!

_Help me._

The words were clear in her mind. There seemed to be something wrong with her voice.

_Somebody please. Help._

She was out of the alley now, but she shrank back from the streetlight which suddenly shined directly on her head. She tried to squint through the light, but she couldn't see anyone out on the street. The only thing she could see was a silhouette of what appeared to be a kid on rollerblades.

She lowered her head and shut her eyes. It was as if God himself was looking down upon her shame. She could feel the hot tears slipping down her dirt-stricken face as she felt despair clutch at her very core. Finally, she took a deep breath and tried once more to speak. "S-somebody," she croaked weakly. "S-someone please…help." She lowered her forehead to the ground and whimpered. "_Please_…_help_."

A flash of yellow caught the corner of her eye. She lifted her head slightly and saw a pair of golden rollerblades. Her eyes widened and she grasped onto the person's leg, holding onto the kid as if her life depended on it.

"P-please," she rasped as best as she could. "P-please kid…help me. I can't…_I can't_…"

The kid chuckled. It was a young boy. In-Young bit her lip and tightened her hold. "Please…h-help…"

The boy suddenly yanked his leg from her grasp. In-Young wailed in protest and looked up…only to gasp at what she saw.

By his body alone, he seemed to be a mere child. A red baseball cap, shorts, a half-sleeved sweatshirt over a full-sleeved black shirt…he seemed nothing more than a regular punk at most. But his face…his face was what terrified her. It could not be one of a human child. His golden eyes, his demented smile…those features could only be that of a creature from Hell.

_It can't be_, In-Young thought as the demon-child raised his twisted golden bat. _It's Lil' Slug—_

----

"Well, you guys can figure out the rest." Akiha turned to the side and threw out her empty Styrofoam cup as the other women gulped nervously.

"You mean," Kanejon asked in a trembling voice, "that she was attacked by _Lil' Slugger_?"

Akiha nodded, and Kanejon let out a shriek of horror as Bara shook her head.

"They found the rapist, you know," Akiha explained. "But he swore he didn't kill the girl. He said he only…_deflowered_ her. Since the police found her with her head crushed, the rapist claims that it must have been Lil' Slugger that did her in."

"Poor child," Bara whispered. "How old was she?"

"I think she was around…well, _her_ age," Akiha answered, jerking her head towards Kujaku as she spoke. "But we know that you'll never make such a foolish mistake, Kujaku. Right, ladies?"

"Of course, of course!" Bara and Kanejon answered enthusiastically. Kujaku blushed and lowered her head.

"Anyway, it's a good thing that she was killed," Akiha said. "It's better to die with some honor, than to live with such shame. It's a bit of redemption, if you ask me."

"That's a bit cruel, don't you think?" Kujaku said to herself.

"What did you say?" Akiha asked.

"Nothing."

"You know, I heard something interesting too," Kanejon said, sipping on her own overcooled coffee.

"Is it about Lil' Slugger?" Akiha asked.

Kanejon nodded. "Of course it's about him! But—" Kanejon lowered her voice to a whisper "—you ladies won't tell anyone this, will you?"

"Of course not, of course not!" Akiha and Bara exclaimed, waving their hands in the air to dismiss the thought. Kujaku waved along with them, though only half-heartedly.

"It's about the 'Musician Murder Mayhem.' I saw it on TV a few days ago, and I heard the most terrible rumor…"

----

"NO! NO, NO, NO!"

Kenji flinched at his instructor's voice and lowered his violin. Professor Takeshi stomped over to him and snatched the instrument away, staring at his student with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Kenji? You have to _feel_ the notes. It's not good enough just to hit the right notes at the right time. If you don't have any passion going into your music, then you've lost the ability to play before you've even begun!"

Suddenly, another violin began to play in the distance, the song being the same one Kenji played. Professor Takeshi turned to the player and beamed, while Kenji stared at the violinist with jealousy and hatred.

_Goddamn her…_

"Wonderful, Asuka!" Professor Takeshi exclaimed as the player came towards them. "Stupendous! Magnificent! Superb! This is what I want! The feeling of passion going into the throws of music! This is what gives a song life, Kenji. This is what makes a note come _alive_!"

Kenji remained silent. He lowered his eyes and turned his head to the side to hide the snarl that made its way onto his face. Damn man. Couldn't Takeshi see he was trying? Couldn't Takeshi see that he was playing his hardest, despite how tired he was from the marathon practice sessions Takeshi himself insisted he take?

"Professor," a young girl purred, "don't be so hard on him. It's not his fault that he's got no talent." Kenji immediately turned to the speaker with cold eyes. The red-headed girl smirked as she made her way towards him, her hands clutching her hundred-year-old violin. Kenji gritted his teeth. What he wouldn't give to slice those smiling lips of hers off her face.

"Now Kenji," she said in a patronizing tone, "you play the last part like _this_." She suddenly struck up a tune on her instrument, her eyes closed, her face scrunched up in concentration, and her bow arm moving with speed and precision Kenji could only dream to have.

Gods, how he hated her.

Kenji turned to Professor Takeshi, expecting the man to be pleased beyond belief. Sure enough, the man was smiling and gazing upon Asuka as if she was some sort of celestial being. His eyes were closed too, and the man's body swayed to the fast paced notes Asuka played.

Asuka hit every note. Asuka made the music soar into the highest heavens and plunge into the fiery depths of hell. Asuka had the ability to bring music to life. Asuka was a musical prodigy.

And what was he? Kenji was only a kid who could hit the right notes at the right time. That was it.

There was no doubt as to who Professor Takeshi's favorite was.

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Both Kenji and Asuka lived with Professor Takeshi.

Kenji was allowed to live with Professor Takeshi because it was paid for. His parents had believed that it would be more beneficial to Kenji's musical career if he lived close to his mentor. Plus, it saved them the trouble of taking him to Takeshi's house every day.

Asuka was a different matter. Her family was from the country. They were poor as hell and were barely able to afford the trip to the city itself. But they wanted Asuka to come under Takeshi's tutelage. They wanted her to be the best. And it worked. Upon hearing Asuka play, Takeshi had become enraptured by the girl's ability. He took her in, free of charge.

She had only been here for five weeks. Kenji had been with the Professor much longer than that, but Asuka had gained Takeshi's trust and confidence much more quickly. She was not only talented, but she was also a shrewd tactician. She knew how to butter up their instructor; she knew how to make herself look good while making him, Kenji, look like a total idiot. She would time it perfectly; whenever his practices went badly, she would show up, and play whatever he messed up perfectly. This impressed Takeshi, who would then tell him to "be more like Asuka."

It wouldn't have been so bad if the acts weren't intentional. But Asuka knew what she was doing. She fully knew that she was knocking him down several pegs just so she could rise to the top, but she continued to act that way, making him look bad while hailing herself as a wonderful prodigy.

Throughout all this, Kenji couldn't help but hate her. She was, to him, a total and complete bitch, who deserved to have her oversized head popped like a balloon. How dare she ridicule him. How dare she…

"I have an announcement."

Kenji looked up from his cereal. Asuka lowered the glass of orange juice from her lips as Takeshi looked at them both with a stern expression on his face. He stared at them for a moment, a hundred emotions running over his aged features before he finally spoke.

"As you both know, I will be conducting a concert in a few days. There is a very challenging, but very prominent solo role for violin. I know both of you are expecting the part, but I can only take one musician."

"But Professor," Kenji interrupted, "you promised that part to me two months ago."

Professor Takeshi blinked before lowering his gaze and clearing his throat. "Circumstances have…changed, my boy. I did not know Asuka at the time, and we certainly cannot exclude her talents."

Kenji froze. _Oh no…please don't tell me…_

"She has shown tremendous ability, Kenji."

_No! Don't say it, please!_

"And I've chosen her to play the part."

…_No…no…_

Asuka squealed and leapt out of her seat to hug Professor Takeshi's arm. Kenji sat in his chair, his body numb in disbelief. His head snapped up when he felt Takeshi's hand touch his shoulder.

"Kenji," the man said softly, "use this time to find your passion. There will be other opportunities."

Kenji didn't answer.

"Aww, don't be sad, Kenji," Asuka said in a voice that barely hid her glee. "There's _always_ next time."

Kenji's eye twitched, and his face twisted into a look of hatred before he could stop himself. He jerked himself away from Takeshi's touch and pushed roughly past Asuka, stomping into his room and slamming the door shut.

Seconds later, a loud crash was heard from inside his room.

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_Damn her._

Kenji touched the shattered remains his violin, his fingers gently caressing the splintered wood as he took in what remained of the fine craftsmanship with his fingertips.

_Damn that bitch._

She took his glory. His honor. His victory.

_Damn that two-timing bitch!_

He had heard Professor Takeshi leave the apartment, but he still didn't come out of his room. For one thing, he didn't want to leave the comfort of his solitude just yet. The other thing was…that Asuka was still in the apartment with him.

If he went out, he didn't know what he'd do. Too many thoughts of killing or maiming her were going through his mind. If he even caught a glimpse of her sneering face, he didn't know what he would do.

"Kenji? Oh, c'mon Kenji! Come out!"

Hearing her whiny voice was almost as bad as seeing her bitchy face, but at least he could contain himself. Now if only he could keep his blood from boiling…

"Are you still mad? C'mon! We both had a shot at it!"

_Just go away…_

"Just because I'm better than you doesn't mean you have to be a sore loser!"

Kenji stopped his examination of his ruined violin. What the fuck did she just say?

"Fine, be that way! Asshole." Her footsteps echoed away from his room, towards her own.

In a flash, Kenji opened the door and ran after Asuka, grabbing her and slamming her into the nearby wall. Her red hair fell all over her face, and she looked up, shocked, into Kenji's furious eyes.

"What did you call me, _bitch_?" Kenji hissed, his lips pulled back in a snarl to reveal his gritted teeth. His hands were so close to Asuka's neck. So close…

Asuka tried to squirm away, but Kenji tightened his hold on her shoulders and rammed her again into a conjoining wall. Asuka cried out this time, and Kenji felt a thrill go through him.

_That's right, you snotty bitch. Scream._

"Does that hurt?" Kenji asked, lowering his voice to a bare whisper. His hands slowly slid upwards from her shoulders to her neck. He watched her eyes widen as his hands closed around her throat, but he didn't squeeze. Not yet. "Answer me," he whispered, his nails digging into her skin. "_Does—it—hurt_?"

DING DONG!

Startled, Kenji looked around to the door. Was the Professor back already? Noticing his distraction, Asuka twisted out of his grasp and ran for all she was worth to the door.

"_Professor, help!_" she screamed as she grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. "_Professor, please! I need your help_—huh?"

Instead of a grown man, Asuka found herself face to face with a young boy in a red cap and golden rollerblades, holding a twisted golden bat high above her head.

"I'll help," the boy said smoothly.

CLUNK.

----

Kanejon threw out her Styrofoam cup, sighing.

"Terrible!" Bara whispered, clutching the front of her yellow sweater in a mixture of fear and horror. "Simply terrible!"

"Say," Akiha interrupted, "isn't Lil' Slugger supposed to come for those emotionally cornered? Wouldn't that be the boy violinist?"

Kanejon shrugged. "He must have made a mistake, because the girl prodigy got to the door first."

Akiha thought for a moment, before sighing. "I guess that makes sense. That Lil' Slugger sure has a tough job."

"Speaking of getting the wrong person," Kujaku said suddenly, "I heard a story too."

The elder women stared at her as if they had forgotten she was here. "Are you serious?" Akiha asked, her voice filled with surprise and confusion. "Is it about Lil' Slugger?"

Kujaku smiled. It was they first time the women were interested in anything she had to say. "Yes. But you won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Of course not, of course not!" the elder women cried, waving their hands in dismissal.

"Well," Kujaku began, "I heard it from a friend of mine, who works at the women's clinic."

----

The timid woman twisted her hands anxiously as the gray-haired doctor in front of her looked over his notes. "I…I'm _pregnant_, Dr. Hainin?" she whispered finally, her voice quivering with nervousness.

Looking down from his file, the man grinned and nodded. "Yes, Ms. Shintaku. You are two weeks pregnant."

"Then…it worked? I…I have a baby? _It worked?_"

Dr. Hainin smiled and took one of the woman's clutched hands. "Ms. Shintaku, You've been my patient for years. I thought you'd have a _little_ faith in me by now."

"Oh no!" the woman exclaimed, grasping the elder man's hand and kissing it. "I trust you with my life, doctor! It's just that…well, I heard that in-vitro fertilization is supposed to be…_iffy_. And to hear that it _worked_…"

The man laughed, the wrinkles in his face becoming more pronounced as the corners of his mouth turned upwards. "Ms. Shintaku! In-vitro fertilization has advanced so much that there is no risk of danger to you or your child. You have my promise."

Ms. Shintaku smiled. "Of course. I was just being silly. It's just that I heard the most horrible rumors…that the egg would die inside of me, and then…"

"Rumor, Ms. Shintaku!" the man said, waving his hand in the air to dismiss the idea. "They're just rumors, nothing more."

"I see that now, doctor. Oh!" The woman smiled, and touched her stomach. "I just feel so happy. My husband will be so happy…Ichiro and I wanted a child for so long now." She stood up, and bowed deeply to the man. "Thank you so much, Dr. Hainin."

Hainin returned her smile, and watched her as she left his office, her face lit up in joy. As soon as she was gone, however, the smile fell off of his face, only to be replaced with a look of utmost guilt. Looking at his file again, his eyes fell upon the names of the egg and sperm donors. For the sperm, the donor had been Ichiro Shintaku.

For the egg, the donor had been Haruka Minomoto.

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He didn't mean to do it. But it wasn't his fault.

None of Ms. Shintaku's eggs had fertilized.

All six of them had failed; all six of them had withered away. Soon, all he was left with were useless remains of failed fertilization.

Hainin refused to accept the results. But he couldn't go back to Ms. Shintaku and tell her he failed. She would be devastated. She would want her money back, and would never come to him again.

Then he remembered that he had leftover eggs from a previous donor.

He had almost fainted even thinking about it. The very idea was illegal, and morally wrong. But if the child was a boy, and looked like his father…he would very well get away with it.

He reasoned that she would never know. She wanted to get pregnant anyway, and half the child's genetic makeup _did_ come from her husband.

After everyone else had left the office, Hainin burned the files that held the names of the real donors. Then he quickly typed up another one, listing Ms. Shintaku as the mother.

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Ms. Shintaku came back a few weeks later, her belly slightly swollen.

Dr. Hainin placed her under the ultrasonic, and Ms. Shintaku gasped in delight as a blurry picture of what appeared to be a badly made doll showed up in the screen.

"Look," Dr. Hainin said, pointing to the largest part of the doll. "You can see the head…and there are the limbs." His finger moved to what appeared to be an arm.

Ms. Shintaku squealed. "That's my baby!" She grasped Hainin's arm in pure joy. "That's my baby!"

Dr. Hainin froze for a moment, a bead of sweat dropping down his face before he forced a smile. "Yes…that's your baby."

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At six months, Ms. Shintaku came back for another ultrasonic.

"See this?" Dr. Hainin said, pointing to the screen. "He's at the stage where his organs are almost completely developed. It's possible for him to live outside your womb, with intensive care, of course."

Ms. Shintaku sighed. "My baby is developing nicely, isn't he?"

More sweat rolled down Hainin's face. "Yes. He's developing perfectly."

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"Doctor, help!"

Hainin looked up, startled as Ms. Shintaku burst into his office, her hand gripping her oversized stomach, her face scrunched up in what had to be immeasurable pain. "Ms. Shintaku, what's wrong?" he asked in alarm as he got up to support her.

"Baby…it hurts so bad," Ms. Shintaku whimpered as she gripped his arm. "Keeps moving so violently—" Suddenly her body tensed, and she began to scream hysterically as she withered and writhed in his arms. "OH MY GOD! IT HURTS! HE'S RIPPING ME APART!"

"Nurse!" Hainin yelled, struggling desperately to keep Ms. Shintaku upright. "NURSE! GET IN HERE NOW!"

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"Push Ms. Shintaku! Push!"

In the delivery room, the woman screamed as she tried to force the baby out of her womb. Dr. Hainin couldn't believe the baby's stubbornness; it was putting up so much resistance that Ms. Shintaku wasn't even able to budge him once.

"Once more, Ms. Shintaku. Push!"

"I…I can't…" The woman began to nod off, only to be shaken awake by the green-clad nurses around her. Dr. Hainin swore at the present state. The woman was losing too much blood. At this rate he would lose both her and the baby.

"Damn it!" he screamed. "Get her to the operating room!" he yelled at the nurses, who immediately pushed Ms. Shintaku out of the room. He followed, blood dripping from his hands and onto the floor as he immediately began the Cesarean section.

More blood came, but he hardly noticed as he kept cutting and cutting...when he opened her stomach, he saw the baby, squirming as the bright light hit its tiny eyes. Hainin immediately removed the baby from the womb, his mind too blurred to take in anything but the mother's and baby's safety.

"I got him," he whispered, more to himself than Ms. Shintaku. He was now sweating so much that the liquid got into his eyes, blurring his vision, but he didn't care. "I got your boy."

He didn't quite notice that Ms. Shintaku, despite being a bloody and sweaty mess, was staring at him in what had to be absolute horror. He didn't notice the nurses gasping and backing away from him in fear. And he didn't notice the child in his hands grinning in an elfish way, with a small, bent, bloody baseball bat in his little hands as he lifted it into the air…

----

"Huh?"

The three elder women stared at one another for a moment, before turning on Kujaku with glares of disbelief.

"How could an unborn child get a hold of a baseball bat?" Akiha sneered. "That's impossible!"

"And a doctor would never do such a horrible thing," Kanejon added. "That's just wrong, and only a person without honor would think of such an immoral deed."

"But—" Kujaku began, only to be cut off by Bara.

"Isn't your older brother a scriptwriter or something, child? Is that where you get your ideas?"

"No!" Kujaku protested. "And he's a lyric writer, by the way…"

"Lyric writer, scriptwriter, all the same to me," Akiha said. "Please lave tall tales out of the conversation, please."

"But—"

"Bara darling," Akiha said, cutting off Kujaku. "You said you heard of a lovely rumor a while ago, but you didn't quite tell us the ending. Why don't you let Kujaku hear the story?"

----

The beautiful American girl danced wildly to the beat, catching the eyes of every Japanese man in the room. Her long raven tresses bounced off her forehead as her skimpy black dress slid up her white thighs. Her hair covered half of her face and her beautiful blue eyes, but the men weren't really looking at her head.

Even if she didn't have one, they would probably still be attracted to her.

One of the men came out onto the floor, joining the woman. Dressed in a white ensemble that showed off his tanned, muscular form, his rock-hard chest, his six-pack abs, and his muscle-bound arms, he grabbed the woman from behind and began to dance very seductively with her.

"What's your name?" the man asked as his hands rested on her hips. The woman looked back and smirked.

"Julia, babe. You?'

"Gin."

The woman smiled, and whirled around so that she was face to face with Gin. "That your real name, or did you make it up?"

"That's my real name," Gin said. "Can I say the same for you?"

"You're a smart mouth, aren't you?" Julia asked, clasping her hands over his neck. "Well, aren't you lucky. I happen to like that in a man."

Gin smirked, and let his hands squeeze her rear end. "Anything _else_ you like?"

"Well…take me to your home, and I'll show you."

----

"I'll leave the rest of their night out," Bara said hastily, shooting an embarrassed look at Kujaku. "It's not meant to be heard by the young ones."

----

After their…night together, Julia and Gin kept meeting each other, mostly to continue their physical relationship. Yes, their trysts were wonderful. Meet, screw, meet, screw… They soon decided that they were in love.

And then it happened.

Julia became sick. In fact, she became so sick that she couldn't leave her apartment. Gin was a devastated. He stayed by her side, taking care of her, trying to nurse her back to health.

They soon found out she had a strange disease. It could be cured by surgery, but the operation was expensive.

"It's okay, Gin," Julia whispered as she stroked his hair. They lay in bed together, fully clothed, their arms around each other tight. "We had fun while it lasted."

"Julia," Gin sobbed pathetically, "I've only known you for two months. I can't lose you…"

Julia frowned, and pushed him off the bed. "Oh, don't get so sappy on me," she snapped at Gin's crumpled form on the floor. "Move on with your life, will you?"

Gin straightened himself and sat cross-legged on the floor. "I can't. I love you."

"You loved our _fucking_."

"That too."

Julia shook her head. "I give up."

"Don't worry baby. I'll find a way to get the money. I promise."

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It had taken him weeks of doing the most grisly tasks he could think of. He worked for gangs, he killed for the rich, and he even sold everything he had to get the money. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, he had enough.

He burst into Julia's apartment, with the money in hand. "Babe! I got the money! We can save you! Julia!" He saw Julia's form on her bed, completely covered by a white sheet. Thinking she was asleep, he tiptoed over to her form and pulled back the sheets…only to back away in horror.

Julia's body was perfectly straight, and was as still and stiff as a board. Her face was frozen in a look of terror, her mouth agape and her eyes wide and bulging with fear.

And lying next to her…was a slightly disheveled young boy in shorts, black socks, a full sleeved black shirt, a half-sleeved sweatshirt, and a red baseball cap. A pair of yellow skates and a bent golden baseball bat were placed next to the bed.

It was then that Gin noticed the boy getting up, his face splitting into a very wide, very demented grin. Gin saw the boy reaching for his bat. Gin saw the boy raising the bat above his head. Gin saw—

—pitch black darkness.

----

Bara threw away her empty Styrofoam cup.

"But Bara," Kujaku protested quietly, "that's the basic plotline for any romance story. Minus Lil' Slugger, that is."

"It happened!" Bara insisted, and turned to the other women. "Didn't it, ladies? You all heard the story too, didn't you?"

"I did," Akiha said.

"Me too," Kanejon agreed.

"But…the story wasn't even good!" Kujaku cried. "And it feels rushed—"

"Excuse me?"

The women all turned to a large, overweight girl waiting at the display of Maromi watches. Kujaku immediately went to help her.

"Forgive us," Kujaku apologized as she set her cold coffee on the counter. "We were on break see, and…well…"

"I could come back later, if you're busy," the large girl said, and Kujaku shook her head.

"No, it's fine! What would you like?"

"The red watch, please. With that cute puppy."

Kujaku immediately rang up the sale and bagged the watch, handing it to the girl with a grin. "Have a nice day," she said cheerfully, and the girl left the store with a smile.

As soon as the girl was out of sight, the elder women immediately began to whisper. "Did you see her?" Akiha hissed. "That was Buta!"

"Buta Hiragashi?" Kanejon whispered in shock. "But she was so skinny and beautiful! What happened to her?"

"It was Lil' Slugger," Bara said with determination. "It was him."

Kujaku blinked as she made her way back to the women. "What do you mean it was Lil' Slugger? What did he have to do with that girl?"

The elder women shook their heads, and sighed.

"Buta was once a model," Bara explained. "She was so pretty and popular…but she was on a very strict diet and exercise schedule. She had to be, you know. To keep her figure. Well, one day, she gained all that weight. No one knew why, but I heard that it was Lil' Slugger's fault."

----

A skinny, slim Buta jogged through the foggy autumn morning, making sure to breathe in and out properly. She had a photo shoot in four hours, and she wanted to be in tip top shape for it. She turned the corner…and froze.

In the middle of the street, in the middle of the friggin' street…was a huge slice of strawberry shortcake, with a big, juicy strawberry on top.

Gods, how she would like to take a small taste. But once she started, she knew she would never stop. Shaking her head, she continued to run, stepping on the cake as she did so.

She hadn't run for more than a few feet when she saw a dish of sushi and sashimi on top of a car hood. Buta stopped, and felt her mouth begin to water. Maybe a small taste wouldn't hurt…NO!

She grabbed the dish and scattered its contents all over the street, stepping on each morsel to end the temptation. When every piece of fish was destroyed, she ran on.

A strange smell reached her nose. What was that…delicious odor? Buta turned and saw a barbeque, a Korean barbeque, sizzling on the sidewalk. The meat was juicy and fat, ready to be devoured by anyone who passed. Buta felt her knees go weak. This was so unfair…this was so…UNFAIR!

She kicked the barbeque out of her way, and ran as fast as she could away from the heady smell. _No more food_, she prayed. _Please no more food…_

She turned the corner…and froze.

Large, stuffed turkeys were laid out on a large banquet table. Mountains of cakes, pastries, and baked goods were heaped onto a silver platter, waiting for her to devour them. Buta nearly swayed from all the food. No…no she had to fight this…

A scraping of metal against concrete caught her attention. She looked to the side to find a young boy in a red baseball cap and golden rollerblades leaning against the edge of the table, leering at her. Finally, he spoke.

"Time for a close up," he said. "Dig in."

Buta looked from the boy to the food. The boy, food. Boy, food. Food. Food.

And then she knew…she was lost.

----

"And she ate the whole thing?" Kanejon asked, her eyes wide. Bara nodded.

"Everything."

"Well, no wonder she got so fat!" Akiha exclaimed. "Who wouldn't after eating all that in one sitting? You can say good-bye to any modeling career in that situation."

"You know," Kujaku said, "I heard a story like that one. But it's about a man who didn't eat for almost a hundred days."

----

His clothes were dirty and ragged. His dark blonde hair, which reached his shoulders, was tangled and scruffy, as was the blonde beard that he now possessed. His face was grimy and oily. His eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot. With a long, dirty fingernail, he scratched off another tally mark in the tree.

One hundred tally marks. One hundred days without food.

He screamed suddenly, partially from the pain in his stomach, and partially from the constant quiet that he was surrounded by. He grabbed his hair and pulled, trying to forget about one pain by inflicting another.

"I hate this place!" he screamed. "Get me out of here. Somebody! Anybody!" When no one answered him, he keeled over, his forehead touching the sand. "I'm so hungry," he moaned.

A splash caused him to look up. "What's that?' he whispered. He squinted. It looked like a yellow speck. "Is it a periscope?"

He squinted even more, his eyes narrowed almost to slits. The yellow speak seemed to be rising. It was…a baseball bat? And what else was coming? A red baseball cap…a boy?

----

"That's absolutely ridiculous!" Akiha shouted. "How would a person even survive without food for a hundred days? That's impossible!"

"And your story is really boring!" Kanejon added. "A good tale should have a surprising twist in it that's believable!"

Kujaku trembled, but she forced herself to speak. "Wait! I have another one!"

----

"What? They busted up the prostitution ring? Damn it!"

The Yakuza leader slammed the phone down on the receiver and swore. He turned to his associate and glared at him. "It seems that the cop we were bribing decided to repent. He busted up the whole damn operation!" The leader snarled for a minute, before turning back to the associate. "Get me Lil' Slugger."

The associate blinked. "Pardon me, sir?"

"Lil' Slugger. They say he comes for those emotionally cornered. Well, I'm in an emotional hellhole, so get him for me! I need him to help me."

"B-but sir," the associate stammered. "How am I supposed to find him?"

"How the fuck should I know? Just get him for me!"

"But sir!"

"I said get him for me!"

The associate trembled. Suddenly, he felt a strange chill go up his spine. He turned, just in time to see a golden bat come down upon his face.

----

"How would a person like _you_ know a Yakuza leader!" Akiha screamed.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it a good one!" Kanejon yelled.

"I've never heard of such rubbish in my life!" Bara scolded.

Kujaku backed away from the women, her face flushed with embarrassment. She didn't speak to them for the rest of the day.

----

She was glad to get home. No more having to hear ridiculous rumors, no more trying to fit in with pompous women. Just her, her brother, and the television set.

She was about to push the key into the lock when she realized that the door was already open. She found this strange; her brother almost never had anyone over. She walked inside the apartment…and screamed.

The entire place was splattered with blood. The red liquid stained the floor, the walls, the carpet…

"Bro!" Kujaku called out as she ran through the rooms. "Bro! Where are you? Answer me!" She ran into their rooms, the kitchen, the bathroom, and finally, her brother's piano room. She gasped at what she saw.

Her brother lay in a pool of his own blood, groaning and moving very slowly across the floor. A deep gash was on his head, and he stared at her with bloodstained eyes as she frantically knelt towards him, cradling him in her lap. "Oh, Bro," she whispered. "Who did this?"

"I-it was…Lil' Slugger," he whispered painfully.

Kujaku's eyes widened, and she stopped cradling her brother. "It was Lil' Slugger," she whispered. Suddenly, a smile broke out on her face, and she grabbed her brother by the shoulders, shaking him. "Tell me!" she screamed almost hysterically. "Tell me how he attacked you! Was it scary? How did his bat feel? Does he really smile when he hits you?"

Her brother stared at her in a mixture of fear and pain. "Call…ambulance," he croaked, before his eyes closed and his head lolled to the side.

"No!" Kujaku screamed, slapping her unconscious sibling. "Tell me what happened! Tell me how he attacked you! I NEED TO KNOW! _HOW DID HE ATTACK YOU!_"

----

**Read and review.**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…the Healer's cycle has begun its growth, entrancing all those with a song as captivating as a Siren's wail. In the process, the Golden Fox has become amused by the parade of creatures that had become ensnared with the promise of a cure, and a dream has been spun by those who seek freedom! And then…**

**For those who can, please answer a few questions for me in your review. It's optional, but it would also be helpful.**

**How do you feel about Yuki and Koji's relationship? (Do you feel okay with it? Excited by it? Does the idea of them together make you uncomfortable? Etc…)**

**What's your opinion on Arishima, and his past friendship with Koji?**

**What do you think is happening to these three major characters, and what do you expect will happen to them in the future?**


	10. White Hill

Disclaimer: I don't own PA.

A/N: I've heard many say that Maromi is a girl, but I could have sworn on the show, that they described it as a "He." I'm going to go with the show on this one. In my fic, Maromi is a boy. End of discussion.

Information is taken from various websites on recording studios. If something is false, I'm terribly sorry. Don't sue me.

Thanks to all reviewers.

_**Chapter ten: White Hill**_

_Fumbling could be heard on the background, accompanied by a scattering of paper as a young man swore angrily, though inaudibly. _

_A high piano key was struck. Then a low one. Finally, a key in the middle was hit again and again as the young man said, "Yeah. That's the sweet spot."_

_Then, a series of notes were hit, slowly. One by one by one, then one by one by one…the music floated like an unfamiliar dream…somber…sad…yet irresistible. Finally, the young man sang, each word perfectly in tune with the melancholy notes._

"_Rest my sweet angel…don't worry now…just close your eyes. I'll take you somewhere far away…where children play…"_

----

Click.

The young woman looked at the forty-year old engineer in surprise as he pulled his finger away from the OFF button on the cassette player. "What did you do that for?" the woman asked. "I was really enjoying that!"

The old engineer glared at the young production assistant in annoyance. "Shut the fuck up, Bushouta."

The young woman paled and lowered her gaze. Her eyes fell upon the cassette player again, and she sighed.

There was a piece of paper taped across the back of the device. On the paper were words printed in large, untidy handwriting.

_White Hill – Opening Song for Maromi, the Healer Dog._

----

_A bright white spotlight suddenly lit the center of a dark, empty stage. On the center of the bare wooden floor, a small pink plush dog stumbled into the light, its legs folding every once in a while, preventing it from having balance for very long. The dog finally plopped down, and stared out into the audience with vast, vacant eyes._

"_This is Hikari Bushouta," said the dog. "She's the production assistant of my newest merchandise, my very own music CD!" The dog clapped, its small arms making small patting noises that echoed in the silence. _

"_Of course, she has to handle __details for the producer such as contracting musicians and vocalists for sessions, scheduling studio time, placing telephone calls, sending e-mails ensuring everyone is aware of when and where the session will be held, assisting on the session, setting up the equipment in the studio for a session, and returning the equipment to its proper place after the session!"  
_

_The dog paused, and made small panting noises, as if it was tired. "Whew! As you can see, it's a tough job that requires the person to be reliable and absolutely dependable!" The dog's voice suddenly turned sly, as he crossed his little arms. "Because of such responsibilities, a lazy, incompetent dope wouldn't last very long at this job. But I could be wrong…"_

----

"You don't have to yell, you know," Bushouta mumbled, twisting a finger around her dark brown hair. "I know things have been hard for you lately, but you don't have to take it out on me."

"Bad?" Fusao Suzumebachi looked up at her with narrowed eyes. "Bad! It's bad enough that the recording studio worker ran away. _That _was bad. Now Kanaria and I are stuck doing most of the equipment checks. But to force us to have this album done in a couple of weeks is pushing it! It's far _beyond_ bad!"

----

"_This is Fusao Suzumebachi, the recording engineer."_

_Maromi awkwardly stood up, and picked up a construction worker's hat that was tossed to him from the side of the stage. The hat tilted over his eyes as he placed it on his head, but he pushed it back and stared at the audience as best he could._

"_The recording engineer operates the soundboard and other electrical equipment during the recording of music. Recording engineers run the recording session with oversight from the producer. They may also be responsible for setting up equipment in the studio prior to the session, and discussing with the producer or musical act what they want for the end product to sound like. It is the engineer's subsequent responsibility to craft a recording that meets the producer's, artist's, or band's desires."_

_  
Maromi lifted the hat up. "This is where the music is born. The engineer is the one who creates the backbone of the music! If he messes up, then everything is totally and completely ruined! That has to be a burden, no?"_

----

"Don't worry," Bushouta cooed, giving Suzumebachi a small smile. "I'm sure you can get it done. You're the best recording engineer we have."

The older man snorted. "Don't try to butter me up. It's not helping me, and it's not going to help you, either. Ah, fuck…this is giving me a headache…" He turned his back to Bushouta and left the room.

As soon he was gone, the young woman's smile melted off of her face and was replaced with a frown. "Bastard," she muttered. She reached for the cassette player again and turned on the tape, closing her eyes to the melody of the haunting piano music.

"_Rest my sweet angel…don't worry now…just close your eyes…"_

Bushouta sighed as she felt herself drift off to sleep. There was something about this song…

----

7:56 PM.

Bushouta opened her eyes.

The train slowed to a stop, and several people tried to push their way out of the doors as several people tried to push their way _in_ at the same time. Bushouta shivered as a gust of cold wind blew into the car. Normally people weren't as ill-mannered as tonight, but with the sudden temperature drop in the weather, many were just trying to get home as quickly as possible.

As she tightened her Maromi scarf around her neck and adjusted her Maromi earmuffs, her cell phone suddenly rang. Without even checking to see who it was, the young woman quickly picked up the phone and said in a cheery, "Good evening! This is Bushouta!"

"Where are you!" an angry voice yelled on the other end. "It's almost eight o'clock, and I promised my listeners that they would hear the first bit of the new Maromi CD at eight thirty!"

"Don't worry!" Bushouta replied, her cheerful tone never wavering once. "I have the finished CD with me, and I'm coming over to the radio station right now."

"Alright. I'll be waiting at the entrance. Remember, eight-thirty!"

"Eight-thirty. Got it." Bushouta turned off the phone and leaned back in her seat as the train began to move again. "The whole world is counting on me," she whispered to herself as she stared at the lighting above her. She yawned and closed her eyes.

Boy…was she ever tired.

----

"What'dya mean, the lyric writer's in the hospital!"

At the sound of his voice, Bushouta sat straight up at her desk, blinking the sleep out of her eyes as the others turned towards Mujinata.

The young studio manager's face became paler and paler the longer he held the phone. "What the hell happened to Ichiro Kujaku? Uh-huh…uh-huh…well, how the fuck did he get attacked by Lil' Slugger inside his own home?"

----

_Looking up from a large book, Maromi stared at the audience. "Toyo Mujinata. The studio manager."_

_  
Maromi slowly lowered his book to the ground and stood unsteadily on his hind legs. "__The studio manager is the person responsible for running the business of the recording studio and may be a sole or partial owner of the business. Studio managers are responsible for booking acts, scheduling engineers, marketing the studio, budgetary accounting, and providing for all the needs of a professional recording studio. He is also the in-house diplomat, acting as the liaison between engineers and clients and ensuring client satisfaction."_

_Maromi reached behind him and took out a yen bill. "The financial success of the recording basically lies with the studio manager. If he doesn't handle the transactions properly, the studio could get ripped off, or they may not be able to get any real clients, and then the studio will go bankrupt!" _

_Maromi took out a match and struck it against the stage floor. "Believe me folks—" he lit the end of the bill, which began to burn quickly "—no one likes to waste money."_

----

"You're worrying too much," Daisuke Kuroshoujou said as he checked the amplifier. He tightened the knot on the back of his red head rag and grinned. "Kujaku'll be alright, as long as his brain wasn't turned into mush."

Sakura Kanaria checked her list of existing lyrics and music and snorted. "All he has to do is be able to move his fingers," she said.

"Don't we need him to sing too?" Jiro Burugashi asked as he checked his list of musicians.

"Nah!" Kanaria waved her hand in the air to dismiss the thought. "To play the piano, he needs his fingers. He doesn't need his voice."

"_What'dya mean he's paralyzed from the arms down!_" Mujinata shrieked, causing everyone in the room to wince. "Does that include his fingers too? _Oh, come on!_"

The others paled at the news. Kuroshoujou turned to glare at Kanaria. "You just had to go jinx it," he muttered.

"…Shut up."

Mujinata listened for a few more minutes before he sighed. "Oh…oh fine. Tell him to get well soon. Yeah, bye." He hung up the phone. "That stupid son-of-a-bitch," he muttered.

"He just wanted out," a low voice said. Everyone in the room turned to see a middle aged woman standing at the door. Pushing her thick black glasses to the ridge of her nose, she took a sip out of the pink Maromi coffee cup she held in her hand.

----

"_Rumiko Kyameru's our mastering engineer!"_

_Maromi tottered over to a computer set up at a corner of the stage, and plopped down into the cushioned seat. "She's not like the recording engineer at all. __This engineer is responsible for taking the final mixes of recordings that have been sent by a studio, band or artist for finishing touches such as EQ (equalization), overall effects, and possibly compression._

"_This is virtually the last step to the production of a record label. Unfortunately, the mastering engineers are the most affected by delays in the schedule, and the pressure is really forced onto them if one of the earlier stages of production goes haywire! What a tough job!"_

----

Kyameru took another sip of coffee and sighed. "I'm actually not surprised that the kid was attacked. This assignment's really putting stress on all of us." She looked up and gave them all a small smile. "You know, maybe I should try to quit too. I certainly don't want _my_ head bashed in."

"Come on, Kyameru," Burugashi coaxed. "It's not that bad. We have almost all of the songs, anyway. I'll just find another lyric writer."

----

"_Jiro Burugashi. The producer."_

_Maromi came out onto the stage, carrying a flute in one paw and a cell phone in the other. He lifted the paw holding the cell phone and lowered the paw holding the flute. _

"_He's kind of like a creative leader for the staff. __The producer supervises all aspects of the recording process including contracting session players and overseeing the recording budget. A producer may also help the artist select songs to be recorded."_

_Maromi then lowered the paw holding the cell phone and lifted the paw holding the flute. _

"_Preferably, a producer should be an excellent musician with a lot of performing experience, and have a great depth of musical, acoustical, and studio technical understanding. He's kind of like the brain of the staff, so if something goes wrong, he's the one who has to take responsibility! But thankfully he has a production assistant to help him out."_

_Maromi turned and left the stage, giggling softly._

----

"So, what're we gonna do?" Bushouta asked. "We still have to make a _few_ more songs for the album, but we don't have anymore spare writers."

Burugashi smirked and folded his arms. "Don't worry," he said. "I got a couple of connections. I know plenty of guys who'd jump off a mountain for the chance to work in this album, and I'll have another lyric writer soon."

The others exchanged impressed glances, and Mujinata breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god for you, Burugashi. You're our pillar of strength."

"But Jiro," Bushouta said in a confused voice, "you just told me yesterday that you called everyone you knew, and that you couldn't get _anybody_."

That quickly wiped off the smiles of everyone in the room. Mujinata began to wail in despair as Burugashi threw Bushouta a furious look, but she only gave him a clueless expression. "What?" she asked nervously. "What did I say?"

Before Burugashi could answer, the door suddenly opened, and a blond American man walked in, carrying a large cardboard box. "Hello everyone!" he greeted cheerfully, oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the room. "I'm Matt Sanders, from Bunny-Hop Fashions! How's everybody doing?" He waited for an answer, the smile never once leaving his face.

He was met with silence.

"O…kay. Well, moving on!" Still smiling, Matt set the box on the ground and opened the covers. "Me and Hitomi are ecstatic that Maromi has become a huge hit! The fact that people want to make _music_ about our little doggie is really wonderful news! So, to express our joy and appreciation for all you hardworking music people, we want to give you some of our newest line of Maromi clothing, free of charge!"

The men in the room paled. "Oh please no," Kuroshoujou moaned. "If you have to give us something, let it be a color other than _pink_."

Matt lowered himself to the floor and reached into the box. "Ta-da!" he exclaimed, pulling out two articles of clothing. "Maromi scarves and earmuffs!"

Kuroshoujou took one look and groaned. "They're _pink_…"

"I know!" Matt said happily, failing to notice Kuroshoujou's less-than-pleased tone. "And the earmuffs are designed so that they look like little doggie ears! Try them on!" Matt placed a pair of earmuffs on Bushouta's head, and stepped back to admire her. "Aren't they wonderful?"

"They're cute!" Bushouta squealed, touching the pink fur. "And they're so warm! Aren't they the best, guys?" she asked, turning towards her co-workers. They all glared at her in response as Matt went around, handing each of them a scarf and a pair of earmuffs.

"It's getting really cold you know," Matt said as he wrapped a scarf around Kanaria's neck. "And we don't want you all getting sick. Just think of this as me and Hitomi's good deed for the day."

"Your concern touches us all to the very core," Kyameru said dryly. Matt smiled.

"Aww, that's sweet! Well, I better get going—" Suddenly, a loud ringing echoed through the room. Matt quickly checked his cell phone, and answered it with a cheerful, "Hitomi sweetie! How are you, darling?" He paused for a moment. "Yeah, I delivered the stuff…huh? You want me to pick up your kid again?" Matt's smile faltered. "But sweetie, I can't—no! Don't get mad! I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Kuroshoujou leaned over to Buragashi. "Whipped," he whispered, earning a snigger from the other man.

"Fine," Matt said, his tone stiffening. "I'll pick her up. When does her psychology class end? Okay, I'll go over there now." Matt shut his phone and turned back to the group, his face seemingly harder than before.

"Going off now?" Burugashi asked coyly.

"Yeah. Have to pick up my boss's kid. She's blind, you know." The smile seemed more forced as Matt turned and left the room, slamming the door in his wake. The others exchanged glances the minute he was gone.

"What the hell was that about?" Kanaria asked. "He just has to pick up a kid."

"Maybe he doesn't like her," Mujinata said.

"Still…"

As the others talked amongst themselves, Bushouta snuggled into her scarf and adjusted her earmuffs, blocking out the chatter of her co-workers. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting sleep overtake her once again.

----

8:00 PM.

"_We are at Shinjuku station. Please take all of your belongings and possessions with you when you leave the train…"_

Bushouta jerked herself out of sleep as more passengers left the train. She shook her head, trying to stay awake, and checked the station. Shinjuku. She still had a long way to go.

She reached into her pocket and fingered the CD that rested there. This was her moment. _She_ was going to deliver the song that would change the world. _She_ was going to be credited for the first hearing of _White Hill_. Her. Her. Just her.

The doors closed, and the train slowly began to move forward.

Bushouta stared out the window as the train passed through the area. Her eyes fixated on the small flurry of snow that floated down to the earth, covering the whole city in a thin sheet of white.

Bushouta yawned. Watching the snow was making her sleepy.

----

When the production team had been assigned, their names and pictures had been posted on a white board in Jiro Burugashi's office. This was the man's method of learning everyone's names and faces as quickly as possible.

A large, red X marked a picture of a young man smiling bashfully. Underneath the picture was the name, "Ichiro Kujaku." Burugashi stared at the picture for a moment, before turning to one that had a slightly older, more nervous looking man. Burugashi took out his red marker and made a large, inky red X on the picture.

"Damn it, Toyo," he muttered.

Toyo Mujinata hadn't shown up for a while now. When they last checked his office, they had found a notice, telling them not to look for him. Damn bastard had run away. And then there were six…

"WOAAH!"

A loud crash rang throughout the studio, followed by what could only be Suzumebachi's howls. Feeling the blood drain from is face, Burugashi ran from his office towards the forty-year-old engineer's screams, stopping dead at the sight that greeted him in the recording room.

"YOU IDIOT!" Suzumebachi screamed. Kanaria and Kuroshoujou desperately held him back as Bushouta tried to untangle herself from the broken mess that that had once been expensive equipment. "HOW COULD YOU? DO YOU KNOW WHAT WAS IN THERE? YOU STUPID BITCH! HOW COULD YOU? How…could…" Suzumebachi trailed off, his words slowly replaced by dry, wracking sobs. "How…how…"

"What the hell happened here?" Buragashi demanded, looking at Kanaria, Kuroshoujou, and finally at Bushouta, who managed to untangle herself from the broken equipment. Kuroshoujou finally spoke.

"We were testing out the demo tape," the set up worker said quietly, "when Bushouta came in. She wanted to help, so I told her to take the tape out of the player, but…" Kuroshoujou eyes turned to the broken equipment.

Burugashi followed Kuroshoujou's eyes, and he choked. On the floor, barely visible under the tangle of wires, were the remains of the demo cassette.

"It wasn't my fault!" Bushouta said suddenly, her voice tense and nerve wracked. "I was going to take out the tape, but I tripped over one of the power cords, and then everything just fell to the floor!"

As he listened, Burugashi's left eye twitched. "Why didn't you watch where you were going?" he asked in a would-be-calm voice. "You should have known to be careful around the equipment."

"It was an accident!" Bushouta whined. "I just tripped! Anyway, Suzumebachi shouldn't have placed the cords on the floor like that in the first place!"

"Why you little bitch!" Suzumebachi tore at Bushouta, struggling to free himself from Kanaria and Kuroshoujou's restraints. "I have to clean up your fucking mess now, and you try to place the blame on _me_? You bitch! You lazy, goddamn bitch!"

Bushouta glared at the old engineer. "Don't call me a bitch!"

"I'm only speaking the truth!"

"It's your own fault!"

"Shut up!" Burugashi roared. The others fell silent as Burugashi's cell phone rang, and watched as the young producer picked up the call. "Yeah? What is….WHAT!" The others looked on nervously as Burugashi's face became pallid. "_Mujinata's in the hospital!_"

----

8:07 PM.

"Excuse me?"

Bushouta woke with a start. She looked up and found herself face to face with the conductor, who stared at her with weary eyes.

"It's the last stop, Miss," he said. "The train is going to go in the other direction in fifteen minutes."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." Bushouta stood up and bowed quickly, before stepping outside the train doors. A cold blast of wind immediately struck her face, almost knocking her back into the train. Although the streets were only lightly covered with ice, the snow was falling at a heavier rate now, and Bushouta could almost hear the winds howl.

_Don't go…Don't go…_

Bushouta tightened her scarf and shivered. The storm was getting worse.

"I have to keep moving," she whispered to herself and she stepped onto the streets. "I have to get to the station. Without me, everything is going to get fucked up. I have to move on." With her resolve strengthened, she trudged onward.

Behind her, a figure appeared from out of the shadows.

----

"I can't believe Suzumebachi was attacked," Kanaria muttered as she took a swing of beer. She shoveled a handful of popcorn into her mouth and turned to Burugashi with bulging cheeks. "Ow dif it 'appen?" she mumbled.

Burugashi grimaced and looked away as he crossed off the third picture with his red marker. "They say it was that kid, Lil' Slugger. He took out a lot of the other staff members too, now that I think of it…damn it to Hell!" he swore, pounding Suzumebachi's picture with his fist. "If the little brat had to attack someone, why couldn't he attack someone useless?"

"That's true," Kanaria agreed, nodding her blonde head. A smirk slowly made its way onto her face as she tapped her chin with a red fingernail. "Bushouta comes to mind, for some reason…"

----

"_The woman of the hour, Sakura Kanaria!"_

_Maromi stumbled onto the stage, nearly tripping off the edge as he tried to move forward. Large, square glasses covered his eyes, and they not only dilated them to unimaginable size, but they also severely impaired his vision, as he seemed to be unsure of where the audience was._

"_As the assistant engineer," Maromi said, facing one of the curtains, "she works in the recording studio, and is responsible for assisting the recording engineer with setup, recording tracks, and mixing. She works as directed by the recording engineer, but can replace him if something terrible happens to him. But I wonder…who's going to replace her if something happens to her?"_

----

"What am I going to do with her?" Burugashi moaned. "She's becoming a liability of the worst sorts. What the hell is going on? She used to be a decent worker…"

"Don't ask me. Say, I heard that Kuroshoujou went to meet with the singers. Took them forever to get that song right. You know…White Hill. I've been told that it sounds pretty good now, though."

Burugashi sighed. "Well, that's a relief. All the songs are out of the way." He rested his chin in his hand. "I feel kind of bad, though. Now that the old man's dead, the workload's on _you_."

Kanaria shrugged. "Hey, I'm the assistant engineer for the old man. This was bound to happen sooner or later. When's Kuroshoujou coming back, by the way? He has to give me all the recordings, so that I can give Kyameru a draft of the mix."

Burugashi looked at her in surprise. "You mean that you haven't gotten anything from Kuroshoujou yet?"

"Nope. Zip. Nada."

"WHAT?"

----

Bushouta leaned back in her chair as she read the morning horoscopes. "Good news for Cancer," she said. "Good luck's a coming. You will find yourself face to face with a tall, dark stranger…" She took a sip of coffee from the Maromi coffee mug that sat on her desk.

"Bushouta."

The production assistant turned, and found herself face to face with Burugashi, who had a dark look on his face. She gulped nervously and stood up, putting down her mug and newspaper as she did so. "What is it?" she asked timidly.

"Where's Kuroshoujou's stuff?"

Bushouta frowned for a minute, trying to remember, before she smiled. "He called, sir, and told me that he was going to fine tune the recordings at our client's studio. I assume he'll bring them in tomorrow."

For a moment, Burugashi didn't say anything. Then without warning, he grabbed Bushouta by the shoulders and forced her to sit down so suddenly that she nearly shrieked in the process.

"Sir! What the hell—"

Burugashi covered the woman's mouth, effectively silencing her. "Listen to me _very_ carefully, Bushouta," Burugashi whispered. "I've tried to be patient with you throughout the whole production. But you've been pushing my limits to the extreme, and I'm _not_ going to take it anymore." He removed his hand. "I won't take your slacking for another minute, you hear me, Hikari? I want you to do your fair share. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I don't care. You hear me? _I don't care!_"

Bushouta stared at Burugashi in shock.

"Go pick up Kuroshoujou's stuff," Burugashi said, not looking at the production assistant. "I want them here by tonight. If that's too much for you—" he gave Bushouta a cold glare "—you're fired."

----

Bushouta trudged towards Kuroshoujou's studio, her mouth set into a thin, sour line.

Burugashi had never, ever spoken to her like that. Never in their whole history together. What was his problem? She hadn't done anything wrong!

"Stupid bastard," she muttered angrily as she entered the studio. The area was empty, so she walked right in without interference. "Hey, Kuroshoujou!" she yelled, checking the rooms one by one. "Are you here? I need the recordings!"

She poked her head into the recording room, and smiled when she saw Kuroshoujou's form bent over the soundboard, his head turned away from her. He seemed to be asleep, so she walked around him, and picked up the small stack of CDs that rested next to him, counting each one as she did so.

"Everything's here," she whispered. She turned to Kuroshoujou and smiled. "Good job, Daisuke. I'll see you in the morning." She tiptoed out of the room, carrying the recordings with her.

When the door closed, Kuroshoujou's body slowly slid off the soundboard, and crumpled onto the floor. His face was frozen in a look of terror as blood pooled around his head.

----

"_I welcome our studio technician, Daisuke Kuroshoujou!"_

_Maromi put his two small paws together and clapped. Small patting noises echoed throughout the theater and faded away as Maromi lowered his paws. "__The studio technician is extremely knowledgeable in the field of electrical engineering, circuitry and audio electronics. This person works within the audio manufacturer's headquarters and conducts fieldwork, such as visiting a client's studio for customer service related issues or product repair."_

_Maromi began to giggle. "Because he's the one who handles social interaction with the clients, he often has to rely on the producer and production assistant to keep him up to date with current events whenever he's away. Of course, if the two are a bit unreliable, then he's simply out of luck, isn't he? He might as well be dead!"_

----

8:14 PM.

A snarl made its way onto Bushouta's lips as she recalled that event. "Damn you all," she hissed. She stopped in the middle of the street and stared into the dark gray sky. "He looked like he was sleeping!" she screamed. "I'm not so dumb that I can't tell a dead person from a living one!"

The wind howled, as if in response. _Go back…go back…_

"Aw, who needs ya?" Bushouta yelled. She adjusted her earmuffs and walked on. When she passed in front of a television display window, she stopped for a moment to watch the news, and to buy herself a cup of hot chocolate from a nearby vending machine.

"In the news tonight, several university students are complaining about their inability to study due to the presence of the serial killer dubbed 'Lil' Slugger.' They are asking more leniencies on grading and fewer examinations due to the unwanted pressure and anxiety brought by the juvenile delinquent…"

"Stupid kid," Bushouta mumbled. "What kind of boy runs around smacking people on the head?"

"In related news, another civilian was found murdered today. The victim appears to be male, and was revealed to be one of the staff members of a record industry…"

Bushouta shivered. She knew this story all too well. She averted her eyes—when she saw a reflection on the glass of the display case.

"He appears to have been a victim of Lil' Slugger, due to the nature of his death…"

Bushouta stared at the reflection. It appeared to be a young boy.

"This is merely another of the growing list of victims we have reported this week…"

The boy had a red cap. He was smiling at her in an unnatural way, and he was raising a golden bat…

"Police are now doubtful that they can find this child, and civilians are expression their fears and concerns…"

Bushouta gasped, and quickly whirled around. There was no one there.

_Go back…go back…_

The cup of hot chocolate slipped from her hands, and spilled onto the thin layer of snow.

----

Kanaria looked up from the soundboard with bloodshot eyes.

"That's not the schedule I heard!" she protested. "I though I had another week!"

Bushouta shook her head. "Kyameru needs that week to make the final mix. So Jiro and I changed the schedule, and your due date, to today."

"That's fucking impossible!" Kanaria yelled. "I have at least six more songs to fix. I need more than one day!"

"I'm sorry, but that's the due date Jiro and I decided on a while ago."

The assistant engineer wrung her hair in frustration. "Agh! Why am I even talking to you? Get Burugashi for me."

All of the color suddenly drained from Bushouta's face. "Oh no…please, Kanaria, it has to be today! Kyameru said that—"

"Are you deaf?" Kanaria snapped. "I said get Burugashi!"

"Please…it _has_ to be today, or—"

"HEY! BURUGASHI!"

Bushouta froze as a weary Burugashi made his way towards them. "Yeah?" he said.

"I was just told," Kanaria snarled, "that the schedule was changed, and that all of my stuff was due today. But no one bothered to even mention this to me until two minutes ago. What the fuck do you want me to do, Mr. Producer? Pull a mix right out of my ass? I have enough crap to deal with!"

Burugashi watched Kanaria rant for a while, before turning his now stony gaze towards Bushouta, who now had her head down. "Why didn't you tell her earlier?" he asked, his tone dangerously low.

Bushouta didn't answer.

"I told you to tell her. She's not Suzumebachi. She needs to be told earlier!" His voice rose, and he grabbed Bushouta roughly by shoulders. "Why didn't you tell her!" he asked half-hysterically, shaking her. "Why didn't you tell her? Why? Why? Why?" He shook her hard at the end of every word, his eyes wide and bulging. "Why? Why? _Why_?"

Bushouta cried and shut her eyes, trying not to look at Burugashi's face as he shook her relentlessly.

"Why, Hikari? WHY!"

----

8:17 PM.

Bushouta increased her pace. She kept hearing _something_ behind her. They sounded like rollerblades, but it was the middle of November. Who would be rollerblading? Unless…it was…

Bushouta shook her head. It couldn't be.

She moved onward, increasing her speed to a jog.

CRASH!

Startled, Bushouta turned around, wondering what had made the noise. Her eyes widened, and she screamed as she whirled around and broke out into a full run.

Lil' Slugger skated behind her in the snow, after going around several fallen trash cans.

----

In the producer's office, five pictures were crossed out in red on Jiro Burugashi's "staff board." The only pictures that remained were Rumiko Kyameru's, Hikari Bushouta's, and his own.

Kyameru yawned as she overlooked the final mix. Gods, was she stressed. But she knew that things were only going to get harder, especially with what Burugashi was about to do.

Back in his office, Burugashi turned to Bushouta, who was standing in front of his desk quietly, her eyes focused on the yellow carpeting below her. Burugashi stared at her for a moment, seconds seeming like decades before he finally spoke.

"You're fired."

It came as no surprise to both of them.

----

8:20 PM.

The snow fell harder, and the wind whipped her scarf all around her head.

_Run_, the wind screamed. _Run!_

Lil' Slugger sped behind her, but from what Bushouta could see, he was having some difficulty moving around due to the growing amount of snow.

Perhaps God was giving her a second chance…

She saw someone getting off a taxi at the corner. Running faster than she ever thought she could, she hurled herself into the car and slammed the door shut.

"STEP ON IT!" she screamed, and the driver, as if he was used to these sorts of things, pushed the pedal to the floor as they sped off into the streets.

----

His hair matted and untidy, Burugashi tried not to think about the bags under his eyes as he lifted the finished CD from Kyameru's cold, stiffening fingers. He didn't notice the blood around her head—he didn't care.

"Okay," he muttered. "Now I just have to get this to the station…"

"No you won't," a cold voice said behind him. Burugashi turned, and saw a glimpse of Bushouta wielding a large golden bat, just as she swung it down on his head.

CLUNK.

Bushouta watched her former boss's body collapse to the floor. Without blinking, she snatched the CD out of his hand, and walked over to her desk, where she put on her coat, her Maromi scarf, and Maromi earmuffs.

She slowly walked out of the studio, without looking back.

----

8:25 PM.

"It's mine," she whispered, clutching the CD to her chest. "It's mine! The honor, the glory…it's mine! I get the last laugh! I get the last laugh!"

The driver stared at her from the rearview window uncertainly. "Err, Miss? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" she snapped. "Just keep driving! I have to get to that radio station!"

The driver snorted, and turned his eyes back to the road. "Whatever, Miss. Just be careful. It's not usually safe at this time of—"

Suddenly, a loud, sharp _crack_ resonated throughout the car. The taxi began to swerve madly throughout the streets as the driver slumped forward. Bushouta, who was in the back, screamed as the car ran into a parked car, and crashed heavily into the back of the driver's seat as she was thrown forward.

For a minute, she thought she was dead.

_Pain…pain…pain…_

Pain was everywhere. Her body felt as if it had been thrown into a brick wall. Her leg felt broken, and she was certain that one of her ribs cracked. She could feel warm liquid ooze down her body, and she trembled to imagine what it was. Nevertheless, she forced herself to open her eyes.

The insides of the car were demolished. The driver looked a bloody mess—there was no way he was alive. The back of the man's head was also crushed, but how that came to be, she wasn't sure…

She felt a hand touch her face.

Bushouta froze. The driver was dead, wasn't he? She turned slowly to the passenger seat, the one in front next to the driver.

Sitting there, completely unharmed, was the boy, Lil' Slugger. He was leaning back in his seat, his bloody bat resting in his lap. His red cap was pushed down, so that the brim shadowed the top half of his face, but there was something Bushouta managed to catch.

Lil' Slugger's eyes, his demonic, golden eyes…were clouded and distant. As if he couldn't really see. As if…he was…

"Oh my god," Bushouta whispered, only dimly noticing Lil' Slugger picking up his bat. "You're—"

CLUNK.

----

8:29 PM.

The young man rushed out into the snow, where Bushouta laid dead. He pulled the bloody CD from her hands and looked it over.

"Is it alright?" Someone called from inside the station.

"Yeah!" The young man answered. "The CD's okay. Let's play it! My listeners will be furious if I don't!"

He went back inside, leaving Bushouta's bloody body outside. The snow continued to fall, covering her body in white as the winds blew gently.

_Why…why…_

Bushouta's stiff fingers curled up.

----

"Okay you listeners…I know you've all been waiting for this, so let's begin by starting with the song, White Hill. It's perfect for a night like this, folks. It'll tug at your heart strings, and it makes a pretty good lullaby. Well, here's White Hill, everybody."

"_Rest my sweet angel_

_Don't worry now_

_Just close your eyes_

_I'll take you somewhere far away_

_Where children play_

_Rest my dear darling_

_And go to sleep_

_On the night grass_

_Let your dreams wake and fly away_

_Till the break of day_

_There is a White Hill_

_Where heaven's sweet light _

_Touches the kind ones _

_For all time_

_Rest my sweet angel_

_Don't worry now_

_Just close your eyes_

_I'll take you somewhere far away_

_Where children play…"_

----

**Read and review.**

**These particular lyrics to White Hill are mine. I made them up. If I catch anyone stealing them, I will hunt you down and gut you like a spring rabbit!**

**IMPORTANT! The next chapter, and therefore the story, will be rated M. DO NOT look for this story in the T section when the next chapter in posted!**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…the reason of why the dragon has reclined lies with the tale of the wandering centipede. Betrayal lurks at every corner for the once mighty protector. His faith in his friends, and those he once thought of as friends, have been taken by those who possess greed, avarice, and strips him until he is but a mere shell of his former self. He now yearns for comfort within the arms of the White Mage, he lusts for the body of the lucky Snow Rabbit, and he desires a return to his former glory…and then…**


	11. Obsession Layer RATED M

Disclaimer: I don't own PA.

A/N: This chapter is rated M. If you are underage, it is highly recommended that you leave. There is sex and violence in this chapter. You have been warned.

This is a critical chapter for me, mostly because it re-introduces Koji, one of the central characters, and because it's the most adult-ish thing I've ever had to write. This and the last two chapters are gonna have one hell of an ending.

If you see this:

0 + 0 + 0 + 0

Then there is a break within Koji's memories.

Thanks to all reviewers.

**_Chapter eleven: Obsession Layer_**

_Moans…soft whispers…the tearing of fabric…_

_Naked and hard, he panted as he ravaged his mate's neck, his hand tugging at the ripped remains of what had once been her clothing. He pushed her against the mattress and straddled her as he crushed his lips to hers, trying desperately to taste her, to please her as a lover._

_Touching. Kissing. A sigh of content…_

_She tore away from his lips, breathing heavily as he began to plant light kisses against her collarbone and shoulders. Her shaking hands timidly stroked the bare skin of his head as her soft voice washed over him like gentle waves. Trembling, he closed his eyes as his mouth closed over her left breast, his teeth grazing across her already hardened nipple._

_Whimper. A shaking of the head. No…_

_Her body pinned underneath his, she tried to rise from the bed, her small hands pushing at his chest in an attempt to get him off. Her mate growled and grabbed her wrists, pinning them deftly above her with one hand as the other trailed down her sides. _

_Gasp. Struggle. Don't!_

_His face inches from hers, he slowly, deliberately, brushed his lips against his mate's. There was something dangerous about the intimacy, however, and she immediately stopped struggling, though her eyes began to water. _

_Whimper. Sniff. Please…_

_She closed her eyes as he released her and returned his attention to her soft mounds. She whimpered in protest as his lips and tongue resumed their assault on her breasts, but he paid her no heed as his hands began to make their way down her body, towards her slightly parted thighs. _

_Stroke. Growl. Open your legs…_

_He felt her jerk as his fingers touched her petals, through the wispy nest of curls that covered her sensitive core. Without warning, he slid a finger past her folds and into her depths. She cried out in shock and fear and again tried to struggle, but he held her tightly to him with one arm and continued to touch her with his other. He devoured her soft lips, feeling her grow more and more moist as he stroked her. His own excitement growing, he deepened the kiss and inserted another finger, causing his mate to jerk against him once more.  
_

_Pant. Moan. OH!_

_His desire for her was getting painful, as was his erection, but he wasn't ready to take her. Removing his fingers, he lowered his head to her folds and kissed her most private place, his tongue quickly mimicking the actions of his fingers. At this point, his mate screamed, and instinctively arched against his mouth, giving him deeper access to her core. He growled and grabbed her buttocks, holding her hips in place as he continued to suckle her. He knew that she wanted release, and part of him wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her warmth for all eternity, but he held back._

_Move your ass! Scream! Give me more!_

_Her cries were making his member burn. No…he wanted to make sure that by the time he was done, this woman would be completely his._

_NO! NO! STOP THIS!_

_He panted against her opening as she climaxed for the first time. His name fell from her lips in an anguished scream as her body quivered from the experience and forced pleasure. As he lifted his head to meet his mate's unseeing eyes, he saw the pale blue glisten, partially from their mating, partially from her shock and fear._

_He couldn't take it anymore._

_He moved up her body until they were at eye level again, and he forced her into a bruising kiss as his large, hard length probed at her opening._

_I…I don't want to…_

"_Yuki," he hissed as he grasped her hips. His fingers dug painfully into her soft flesh, and she winced as he licked her neck. "I'm sorry." Before she could fully comprehend his words, he forced himself inside her, and began to thrust into her soft body like a madman…_

_I don't want to! I DON'T WANT TO!_

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Koji bolted out of sleep, his naked body rigid and drenched in sweat. Panting, he tried to calm himself as he turned to shut off his alarm clock.

_Four o'clock in the morning,_ he thought bitterly as he slumped back onto the bed. His head pounded as he shut his eyes._ Note to self. Never drink so much again._

He laid there for some time, willing his body to cool down as he tried to get the images of his dream out of his head. Yuki…he had been having sex with Yuki.

Correction. He had been raping her.

This was madness. He never had these kinds of dreams about her before. He _did_ have wet dreams about Yuki when he had still been living with her, but they were never that one-sided or forceful. Now he was having these dreams at least every other night, always one where he was taking Yuki without warning, always in a dominating way. It was a bit startling, to think of doing those things to her, yet somehow…_somehow_…he liked it.

Ah, fuck. He needed a shower.

It was then he noticed that his shower was already running. His body tensing again, Koji quickly sat up and scanned his small, dingy apartment. A yellow halter top was tossed carelessly in the corner of the room, along with several empty bottles of alcohol. A black miniskirt lay crumpled and forgotten at the foot of his bed. Two-dollar stockings, cheap high-heeled boots, and scattered remains of his own clothing stewed the bare floor as Koji stared on in horror, slowly realizing what must have happened for his room to be in such a state.

_Oh…my god…_

"Hey baby," a voice cooed. Koji slowly turned to see a young, red-headed woman come out of his bathroom, with only a small towel covering her wet body. The woman winked seductively at him, and he immediately turned away, shame filling his every nerve.

_No…not again…not this again…_

"Oh honey, that had to be the best sex I've ever had in my life," the woman declared, plopping herself on the bed beside Koji. He kept his eyes away from her. She smirked, and crawled over to him, the towel slowly coming undone. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders from behind and, ignoring the way his body tensed, whispered huskily into his ear, "Wanna have another go? This one's free of charge…"

"Oh god," Koji muttered, all thoughts of a shower forgotten. He quickly pulled himself away from the woman as he stood up. "Listen…whoever you are," he said, searching hastily for a pair of jeans, "I'm really sorry, but…I have to get to work. You should go."

The woman stared at him for a moment, before pouting. "C'mon! We can have a little more fun, can't we?"

"No." Koji pulled on his pants, and checked his pockets. "Goddamn it! Where the hell is my wallet?"

"I helped myself," the woman said carelessly, waving one hand in the air. "I took what you owed me last night, after you finished. And boy, what a finish _that_ was."

Koji felt the heat rush to his cheeks, but attempted to stay calm. "Whatever. My wallet, please?"

The woman pointed to a small, brown leather case that lay forgotten next to a torn, black bra. Avoiding contact with the bra, Koji quickly picked up his wallet and checked the contents, cursing silently when he realized that half the money was gone.

"Are you sure you don't want to play?" the woman asked, disappointment filling her voice. "I really won't charge…you're as good as that detective I used to screw a few months back…"

Koji grimaced as he buttoned up his shirt. He shook his head, and said, "No. I'll pass, thanks. Just get dressed and leave." With that, he grabbed his windbreaker and walked out of the apartment, not sparing the shocked woman on his bed a second glance.

"Did you hear? Lil' Slugger's attacked a whole record industry! He must be some kind of monster!"

"No, they must have wanted to die. Remember, he only comes for those emotionally cornered. He's some kind of—of—angel of death!"

"I heard he isn't even a boy. He must be some sort of handsome _man_!"

"I heard that the writer, Yuki Usagi, is making some book on Lil' Slugger."

"Oooh! When's it coming out?"

Keiichi Ikari breathed in the cold winter air as he sat on the dilapidated porch swing. Normally the nurses wouldn't have allowed him to come out during such weather conditions. However, many of them seemed to be missing lately, and the volunteers, all on break from school, were the only ones available for assistance.

It hadn't been too difficult to trick the teenaged girls into helping him change into bulkier clothing, and they had readily helped him get outside, where they took the chance to gossip as he sat quietly on the rotting wooden swing. His weary eyes narrowed as he caught some of their words, but he didn't have the strength to snap at them. His age had finally caught up with him.

He didn't really want to look at them, either. All of them were dressed in so many shades of pink that his eyes hurt from just _glancing_ at them for too long. He caught a glimpse of an image on one of their sweaters, but his old eyes couldn't make out the shape.

Oh well. Probably wasn't important. He wasn't into pink anyway, not since the incident with Maromi and Lil' Slugger.

A grim smile slowly made its way across his face. Lil' Slugger. This new one seemed no different from the old Lil' Slugger. After that disgusting blob destroyed the city, it was discovered that there had been no fatalities. None whatsoever. The only thing was that no one could remember what had happened. No one knew why they found themselves lying in the middle of a desecrated street. No one knew why the city was in ruins, and almost no one could remember what had happened in the past three months—from the beginning of the Lil' Slugger attacks to the end.

For a while, some people voiced out their opinions, the scraps of memory that they had miraculously managed to maintain. That a boy in a red cap, golden rollerblades, and a bent golden bat had brought the city to ruin. No one believed it.

In the end, the government made some up some story about a suicide terror cult bombing the entire city. The people seemed to believe it well enough, but _he_ remembered. He knew what had happened, but he kept his mouth shut. What would have been the point of telling the truth, anyway? Who would believe that a stuffed pink puppy and a _blob_ was the reason why an entire city was destroyed?

No one else directly involved seemed to remember it, for they also kept quiet, but his old partner, Maniwa, had gone completely off the deep end. His ranting about Lil' Slugger had earned him a permanent stay at the hospital, where he was confined as a certified loony. Now, he had no idea what had happened to the younger man. Hopefully he was alright. Hopefully.

Suddenly, something cold hit the side of Ikari's face. He cried out in shock and surprise as several large snowballs flew in the direction of the teenaged girls. The girls shrieked and ran back inside, leaving him to fend for himself as two teenaged boys ran up to the porch, each with a snowball in their hand.

"Get back here!" One of the boys yelled, a grin spreading across his face as he ran inside the building. "I'm Lil' Slugger, and I'm going to get you!" The other boy lagged behind, and stopped in front of Ikari, who was shivering slightly from the snowball.

"Hey, you okay old man?" the boy asked, pulling down his yellow scarf to get a better look at Ikari. The elder man glared at him.

"Get…me…inside," he said slowly, taking a breath between each word. The boy dropped his snowball and nodded. He carefully helped Ikari to his feet as he walked him inside the retirement home.

As they walked to his room, both saw the girls screaming as the other boy continued to chase them with the melting snowball. The girls pushed past them and ran back outside, away from the home with the other boy in hot pursuit. Ikari snorted.

"Stupid…kids," he muttered.

The remaining boy stopped suddenly, looking from Ikari to the direction where his friends ran off. Ikari saw the boy bite his bottom lip nervously, and sighed. "Go on…kid," Ikari wheezed. "I…can get…to my…room...on my…own."

The boy smiled. "Thanks, mister." He slowly released Ikari, and ran back outside.

Ikari watched the boy for a moment before he shook his head. Kids these days had absolutely no respect for anyone, much less their elders. _Oh well…_

He slowly walked into his room, taking deep breaths to steady himself as he did so. He shut the door, locking it, and was about to go sit down…when he realized that there was a pair of golden rollerblades placed neatly next to the door.

His blood froze. _No…no, this can't be… _

He lifted his head, looking slowly around the room—and choked on his own screams.

Lying down on his bed, in his stocking feet, was a young boy. His clothes were slightly rumpled, and his cap was pushed forward so that his eyes were completely hidden, but he immediately sat up at the sound of Ikari's chokes. A grin split across his face, and his teeth were bared in a maniacal manner.

_No…he can't be here! This is some nightmare!_

"Welcome back," whispered Lil' Slugger. The boy picked up the bat that rested on the side of the bed, and slowly began to walk towards him.

It was at that moment when Ikari knew. He was going to die.

Koji shivered as the cold gust of air managed to make its way through his windbreaker. He tried to lift the jacket higher, to shield his unprotected neck, while berating himself at the same time.

He never should have brought the cheap jacket. It didn't do a damn thing against the cold.

"Hey, Garyou!" a voice shouted from inside the garbage truck. "You gonna pick up those bags or what? We gotta get a move on!"

Koji snorted. "We have all fucking day!" he yelled back, but proceeded to pick up the half frozen bags nonetheless. He failed to notice the broken bottle sticking out at the end of one bag, and before he knew it…

"OW! God fucking damn it!" Koji dropped the bag and clutched his bleeding hand. Dark red blood oozed out of a large cut that ran diagonally from one end of his palm to another. Cursing angrily, he wiped the blood on his pants and glared at the broken bottle.

It was a beer bottle.

_The dark haired woman screamed as a beer bottle sailed over her head, smashing against the nearby wall. She crouched to the floor and covered her head as the bits of broken glass showered over her, spraying all around her in a fine circle._

_Curled up in the corner was a brown haired four-year-old boy, with his hands over his ears and his eyes tightly closed. Maybe if he couldn't see or hear the problem, this would all go away…this would all just go away…_

_At his feet laid a crumpled picture of a poorly colored town._

_Suddenly, a hand grabbed the woman's hair and lifted her off the ground. The woman screamed again and clawed at the hand, trying desperately to free herself. In response, the brown-haired man holding her slapped her twice, once with the palm of his hand and the other with the back._

"_Y-you useless b-bitch," the man slurred, his lips twisting into an ugly snarl. He grabbed the chin of the woman and forced her to look at him. "I t-told you that I d-don't give a rat's ass a-about you no more. Gots a n-new woman. W-why won't you give m-m-me the fucking divorce!"_

"_Mukade…" the woman whispered. "Please…I still love you…"_

"_SHUT UP!" Mukade roared, and in one motion, he threw the woman against the table. The woman's forehead collided with a sharp corner with a sickening crack, and she fell to the floor, barely conscious._

_The boy looked up, and his eyes widened at the sight of his mother moaning against the wooden floor. No…no…he had to do something! He stood up and ran to his mother's side, gently touching her face and bleeding forehead. "Mommy," he whimpered, wiping away the blood. "Mommy, are you okay? Do you need a bandage?"_

_His mother's eyes fluttered for a moment, before she blindly reached up to touch his face. "K-koji…" she whispered.  
_

"_Mommy, should I get a bandage? You're bleeding—AAGGGHHH!" Koji shrieked in fear when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt collar and yanked him away from his mother. The hand whirled him around, and Koji found himself staring at the red, squinting face of his father._

"_W-what the hell d-do ya think you're d-doing, boy?" Mukade growled, shaking Koji roughly. "Stay o-out of this!"_

_Koji whimpered, and began to cry. "You're hurting mommy!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. "Stop hurting her!"_

"_SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!" Mukade threw Koji to the floor and began to kick him with his shiny, black leather shoes. "SHUT YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING MOUTH!"_

_Koji curled up into the fetal position and screamed as his father continued to brutally kick him. This wasn't happening to him, this wasn't happening to him, this wasn't happening to him…_

The first thought that ran through Ikari's mind was that he was going to die. He was going to die at the hands of a psychotic phantom, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

As Lil' Slugger slowly approached him, a second thought came into his mind, this one more startling and unexpecting.

_Stay calm._

He had no idea where that thought came from, but he forced himself to calm down. He closed his eyes and took deep, even breaths while trying to think of better things. He tried to think about his past successes as a cop. He tried to think about his old partner, Maniwa. He tried to think about his wife. His wife…

Lil' Slugger stopped.

Ikari opened his eyes. Standing no more than two feet away from him was Lil' Slugger…in a state of slight confusion. His head was turning slowly, first to the left, then to the right, as if he was looking for something. Ikari blinked, and then slowly waved a hand in front of the boy's face.

Lil' Slugger did not respond.

It was then Ikari noticed the boy's eyes. They were clouded. Unfocused. Completely unseeing. Ikari felt his old jaw drop from pure shock.

This child, this _serial killer_…was blind.

"What happened…to your eyes?" Ikari wheezed. Lil' Slugger looked up and frowned, but said nothing. Ikari slowly took a step back, but the boy immediately raised his bat, and the older man stopped.

"Don't move," the boy snapped. He took another step towards Ikari, though this time, his moves were hesitant.

Ikari immediately noted this. Allowing a shaky smile to spread across his face, he sat down on a nearby chair. "Why…haven't you…killed me yet?" he croaked.

The boy's hands tightened around the bat as his lips twisted into a snarl. He stepped forward and swung wildly, missing Ikari's head by several feet.

"You can't…see me…can you?" Ikari whispered, pausing between each word for a breath. "Well…I guess…you're out of…luck…aren't you?"

The boy growled, a truly animalistic sound. Without warning, he swung again, the bat flying towards Ikari's head in perfect aim.

The blood strained through the white handkerchief tied tightly around his hand.

Koji heaved the broken table onto the back of the truck, trying not to wince as pain shot through his hand. Feeling the anger rise within, he kicked the back of the truck, full of resentment towards his injury, towards his predicament, and most of all, towards himself.

He saw a flash of pink against the ground. He bent down and picked it up. It was a ring that had a image of Tsukiko Sagi's creepy pink dog.

These things were everywhere…

"_Come on!_"

Koji looked up as a woman furiously pulled her son by the arm. The boy, wrapped tightly in a thick snowsuit, screamed wildly as he clawed at his mother's hand.

"I don't wanna go get my hair cut!" he screamed. "The barber's gonna cut my ear off!"

The mother stopped, and let out a cry of exasperation. "I never should have let you watch that movie with your father! That no good bum never thinks of the consequences!" She turned back to her son, glaring at him. "Why do you have to look and act so much like him? Tell me why!"

"_Why do you have to look so much like him, Koji? Why?"_

_The ten-year-old boy stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door furiously behind him as he ran down the stairs, out of the building. Clutching a pair of scissors in his hand, he wiped his eyes furiously as he hid himself in a shadowed alley, kicking aside several boxes and bags of garbage as he did so. _

_He sat on top of a sagging cardboard box, and glared at the scissors in his hands. "She wants me to look different," Koji muttered to himself, brushing away the few tears that slid down his face. He grabbed a fistful of his brown hair, and began to hack at it mercilessly with the scissors. "I'll look different then! I'll get rid of my hair!"_

_Bits of dark brown fell to the ground as he sliced off a large chink of his hair. He sawed at another portion so violently that he cut himself several times, but he paid the injuries no heed until he nearly chopped off one of fingers. "OW!"_

_He dropped the scissors in pain and clutched at his bleeding hand, watching helplessly as the red liquid slowly ran down his finger. He sniffed for a minute, before he bit his lip and began to sob quietly._

_His father had left the family six years ago for some bitch at the office, and his mother had become absolutely hysterical as a result. She cried, broke many household items, and had even run away for four days, until a neighbor went after her and brought her back. Koji had tried to comfort her, but she often shoved him away violently, and shut him out of her room without a word. At first, he didn't know why his mother shunned him. But later, as he grew older, he knew.  
_

_He looked too much like his father.  
_

_A hand gently touched his arm, and Koji looked up to see the worried face of a young man. "Are you alright?" the man asked, and Koji nodded, wiping his face with his shirt sleeve._

"_I-I'm alright Gisei," Koji said, trying to keep his voice calm. He looked at the shredded remains of his hair and flushed in embarrassment. "Err…this isn't what it looks like."_

"_Good. Because it looks like you're trying to give yourself a punk hairstyle." The twenty-year-old picked the scissors from the ground, and sighed. "Where's your friend, Arishima?"_

_Koji snorted. "He's at the arcade, killing stuff."_

"_Nice kid," Gisei commented dryly. He frowned as he gave Koji a hard stare. "So what're _you_ doing here, kid?"_

_Koji looked down from Gisei's questioning eyes to his cut finger. "I wanted to change my appearance," he said quietly._

"_With a pair of cruddy scissors?"_

"_I was trying to cut off all my hair!" Koji yelled, standing up. "I don't want to look like my stupid dad, _okay_?"_

_Gisei blinked. He stared at Koji for a moment, before turning to the scissors in his hands, before turning back to Koji and groaning. "Aw, kid…you can't just cut off all your hair with scissors like these! You'll hurt yourself! More!" he added hastily when he caught a glimpse of Koji's bleeding finger. He bent down until he was eye level with Koji, and said, "Look Garyou. I'll tell you what. I'll take you to my mother's salon. My girlfriend's there right now, and I'm sure that my Ma can fix your, err, hair." _

_Koji touched the remains of his brown hair and snorted. "I told you, I don't want it fixed. I want my hair _gone_."_

"_Fixed, gone, no difference to me. Now, let's go!"_

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"_It's such a shame, child! You had such beautiful hair!"_

_Koji didn't respond as the elderly woman shaved off his brown locks. Ignoring the woman's sighs and disappointed looks, he stared at himself in the mirror, allowing a grim smile to come across his face._

_It was fading away…his father's face was slowly fading away with each stroke of the razor blade…_

"_Happy now?" Gisei called from the other side of the salon. Koji turned his head so suddenly that Mrs. Usagi nearly screamed as she threw her hands in the air, spraying bits of cream onto the customer sitting next to them._

"_Hey!" the girl protested, wiping off the white foam from her face. "Careful!"_

"_Sorry honey," Mrs. Usagi cooed, before turning back to Koji with an exasperated look. "Please don't turn your head like that dearie. I might accidentally cut you!"_

"_Sorry," Koji muttered, before sitting still. In the mirror, he could see Gisei sitting with a pretty, dark-haired girl, who had a large, round belly. Gisei was holding her hand and laughing as he poked her stomach several times, much to the girl's dismay._

"_That's Hitomi," the elder woman said, noticing where him watching the pair. "She's one of our regulars. She's been engaged to that boy for god knows how long…Good thing they're getting married, otherwise her parents would have made the poor girl get an abortion!"_

"_What's an…abortion?" Koji asked curiously._

"_Never you mind, dearie," Mrs. Usagi said as she shaved off a large chunk of his hair._

_Koji frowned. He didn't know what an abortion was, but he didn't like the sound of it. "Did Gisei say he wanted an…abortion?" he asked. He made a face when he caught a glimpse of Gisei and Hitomi kissing._

_The old woman almost dropped the razor in surprise. "Heavens no! He's against such things! I taught him better than that." She stared at Gisei, who was now nuzzling Hitomi tenderly, and sighed. "He just got accepted into the police force, you know. As one of the regular patrol policemen. That boy…he just loves to protect everyone. I don't know where he gets it from. Oh, _don't_ turn your head like that, sweetie! I really don't want to cut you!" Mrs. Usagi forced his head forward as she shaved off the last bits of his hair._

"_Why'd he have to join?" Koji complained bitterly. "He has to leave now, because of his job."_

"_Yes…I know how close you two are." Mrs. Usagi spun Koji around in his chair so that he was facing her. She gave him a warm smile, and said gently, "He's just doing what he feels is right for him. This is his way of…how did he put it…protecting the downtrodden." Mrs. Usagi turned to Gisei and sighed. "He just wants to do the right thing. That's actually what he's _best_ at doing."_

"_My pops used to say that the police were liars and thieves," Koji muttered._

_The elder woman frowned. "Don't believe everything you hear from your father. I can assure you, once Gisei joins, the force will be the best there is."_

_Koji looked towards Gisei, who was laughing as he touched Hitomi's round belly. "Look honey!" he cried in joy. "I can feel her kick!"_

_Koji smiled. "Yeah…I guess the police force will be better…"_

The bat stopped an inch away from Ikari's forehead.

Ikari watched Lil' Slugger's unseeing eyes widen, before he roared in what had to be absolute frustration. Ikari slowly released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and smiled as Lil' Slugger swung his bat wildly in the air, missing him every time.

"Problems?" Ikari teased. "So…what did…Miss Sagi do…to mess up…your eyes? Did she…kill…another puppy?"

The boy stopped swinging and plopped down on the bed once more, his face twisted with pure fury. His kept a hold on his bat, and every few seconds his grip tightened as he tapped his foot against the floor impatiently..

"Why'd…you…come back?" Ikari gasped. "You…disappeared. Everyone…forgot your name. You…became…_nothing_."

Despite his fury, Lil' Slugger suddenly chuckled, an eerily dark sound coming from what looked so much like a little boy. Ikari was a bit startled by this, but he continued.

"You think…you're making…a difference?" Ikari wheezed. "Look…around you. Society…may have changed…materially. But they haven't…changed…one thing…about their…_attitudes_."

The child's chuckles grew into giggles.

"They haven't changed…war won't change them…deaths won't either…what makes…you think…_you _can?" Ikari gave Lil' Slugger a look of disgust. "You're…wasting…your time."

At this point, Lil' Slugger began to laugh insanely. He fell back on the bed, kicking his feet in the air and screaming his lungs out as Ikari glared at him.

"What…the hell's…so funny?" Ikari gasped over the boy's laughter. His eyes narrowed, and he wheezed as angrily as he could, "What the hell's…so goddamn…funny? You ruined…my life. You took…my career. You took…my partner. For some reason…I think…you took Misae." Ikari's hands clenched, and he shut his eyes at the memory of his wife.

The child stopped laughing. He sat up on the bed, his clouded eyes suddenly glistening as Ikari fought back the tears.

"Gotcha," the boy whispered, slowly lifting his bat. Ikari opened his eyes, and glared at his attacker.

"Not…so fast," he wheezed. Lil' Slugger's eyes become clouded once more, and he lowered his bat, growling. "You're…not going…to kill me…yet. I'm going…to tell you…something….and you're going…to listen…to every word. Got it?"

They only had a few more stops left.

Ignoring the large cardboard box at the back of the alley, Koji hauled the garbage bags as quickly as he could into the truck, desperate to finish and get home. Not that he considered his crappy apartment to be a home, anyway…

Suddenly, another bag was tossed into the back, but not by his efforts. He turned around and found the gruff driver standing next to him, trying to lift several broken chairs at the same time.

"You just gonna stand there?" the driver snapped. Koji pulled out of his thoughts and quickly helped the man load the chairs onto the truck. "I saw the mess," the driver said suddenly, "and I thought, 'Ah, what the hell? New kid could use some help.'" The driver tossed in another bag and sighed. "This job sucks, I know. But it's all I got. You? You look young. This is only temporary, right?"

The driver turned to Koji, waiting for an answer. When he got none, his face hardened. "Well, you gonna answer me or not, kid?" he demanded.

Koji remained silent for a few more seconds, before shaking his head solemnly. "I'm stuck here too," he said quietly. "I have absolutely nowhere else to go."

The driver stared at him in shock. "You're awfully young to be saying that. Hey, don't you have a girl back at home to cheer you up, or something?"

Despite himself, Koji felt his lips curl upwards at the statement. "Girl? My girl doesn't even know I'm in love with her. So technically, I have no girl. And nameless street whores don't count."

"Man…that's not right." The driver shook his head. "Every guy should have the girl of their dreams…even if it's only for a night."

Koji checked his hand, which had thankfully stopped bleeding. "I want her for more than a night," he whispered.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

The driver gave Koji a small smile and clapped him on the back. "Well, don't look so down. Things are always worse before they get better. You get my meaning?"

Koji snorted as he threw in another trash bag. He couldn't see how his life could get better _or_ worse.

"M-matt…please…you're hurting me…"

Koji froze. It couldn't be…

He turned around slowly, not knowing what to expect. Immediately his eyes fell on a blond American man, who was dragging a young woman roughly by the wrist. With some disgust, he recognized the man as Matt, and would have gladly looked away had it not been for the woman who was with him.

Tugging helplessly on her captive wrist was a woman dressed in a plain white overcoat with a red scarf tied around her neck. A red bag dangled from one of her arms as she tried to hold on to a white walking stick. The girl's black sunglasses slipped down to her nose, and he could see the frightened, clouded blue eyes underneath.

_Yuki…_

Before he knew it, Koji shot towards them, not caring of the consequences.

"_Ah…oh…OH! You're hurting me…"_

_The eighteen-year-old stared at the pornographic movie in disgust before turning to his friend and roommate, who was currently drooling at the computer screen. "Arishima," he snapped, "turn that crap off, will you? Rape flicks aren't really my thing."_

_Arishima frowned, but complied as he shut off the movie. "Spoilsport," he muttered. He pushed his glasses up to the ridge of his nose and began to type furiously on the keyboard. "It's better than what _you_ want to watch, Garyou. Who the hell likes Chibi-porn, anyway?"_

_Koji blushed, before turning his gaze towards a greasy spot on the wall. "I don't like it…I just…I dunno…find it interesting."_

"_Interesting. Right." Arishima smirked as he pulled up another movie, this one slightly milder than before. Slightly. "Is that why you, a senior, date only freshman girls? What is it with you and younger women, anyway? I mean, I know they're cute and all, but come on." Arishima tore his eyes away from the film and turned to Koji with a somewhat serious glare. "They're still _underdeveloped_."_

"_Shut up," Koji snapped, plopping down on Arishima's bed. "There's just…something about them I want to protect. I don't know…I guess…they make me feel needed."_

"_Aww…" Arishima lifted his glasses and wiped away a fake tear. "I never knew you felt so lonely, Garyou. Do you need a hug?"_

_Koji glared at his supposed friend. "Shut up! At least I can like and keep a girl for more than a week."_

"_You see, that's why you're so boring. What's the point of having a girl for more than—oh, shit!" Arishima's eyes widened as he stared at the screen. "Garyou! They're having a foursome! They're actually having a foursome!"_

"_You know, I met Gisei today in the city," Koji said loudly, trying not to picture the supposed foursome. "He said that we have to do a little more training, but we'll be on our way as detectives."_

_Arishima remained glued to the computer. "Uh-huh." _

"_We can finally protect people who really need help."_

"_Uh-huh."_

"_I won't have to deal with stupid things, like my parents, anymore."_

"_Uh-huh."_

"_There's a naked girl in the bathroom that's waiting to screw you."_

"_Uh—HUH?"_

_Koji smirked as Arishima tore his wide eyes from the computer screen. "Just kidding, pervert."_

"_You smarmy son-of-a-bitch!"_

In one fell motion, Koji tore Matt's grip away from Yuki and lifted the younger man in the air, holding him only by his fancy shirt collar.

"What the hell? Get your hands off me!" Matt yelled, trying in vain to free himself.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Koji asked, his voice low and mocking. "Why should you? After all, we only met once." He threw Matt away from him, smirking as he watched the man fall hard on the icy ground.

"OW! Jesus, what's your problem?" Matt picked himself off the ground and gave what Koji guessed was supposed to be a cold glare. "This isn't any of your business, so just go away!"

Koji snorted. "I see you mishandling a poor woman, and you expect me to just sit by? What's she ever done to you anyway, jackass?" Behind him, he heard Yuki gasp. She recognized his voice…

"Look Bubs," Matt snapped, "I have to get Little Yuki here to her mother. There's an interview her mom has to get to, and she wants her kid by her side. But at the rate we're going, the interview's gonna be over by the time we get there!" Matt sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I was just trying to rush her. I wasn't hurting her or nothing!"

"Don't try to mess with me!" Koji roared, but stopped when he felt a hand timidly touch his arm. Koji turned around, and found himself staring into a pair of pale blue eyes. His heart stopped.

_Yuki…_

"K-koji?" Yuki whispered softly, as if not believing he was there. As Matt backed away, Koji held his breath and tried to relax as her hand slowly traveled up his arm, towards his shoulders and neck, finally resting on his unshaven cheek. Despite himself, he closed his eyes as she slowly traced every line, every cease in his face, her fingers brushing over his skin tenderly as she tried in her own way to _see_ him.

Gods, how he missed her touch.

He grasped her hand when he felt her fingers leaving his face. No, he couldn't let her go like this…not with Matt…His eyes shot open when he realized that she was breathing irregularly, and he saw that her nose was red, while her eyes were glistening with tears refusing to be shed.

Was she upset…for him?

"You're not wearing a scarf." Yuki's voice was quivering, a sign that she was on the verge of tears. With her free hand, she pulled her scarf form her neck and wrapped it around Koji's, unaware of the red hue darkening his cheeks. "You'll get sick. Oh, what happened to you, Koji?" she cried. "You never answered any of my calls."

"I…got a new phone," he lied. In truth, his phone was in pieces on his apartment floor, after he had thrown it against the wall in pure anger. But he wasn't going to tell her that…

Yuki's lips pursed. She knew he was lying, he could see it all over her face, but she kept quiet. Instead, she sighed. "You haven't shaved, and your face is even _more_ tense than before. But tell me, Koji…why do you smell…different?" Her nose wrinkled slightly, something Koji couldn't help but smile at.

"Miss Usagi," he said as he lowered, but did not release, her hand. "When you spend a good amount of time as a sanitation worker, you will, at some point, smell like the trash you pick up."

"S-sanitation worker?" Yuki gasped, her jaw dropping open in shock. "Koji! No! You deserve better than this!"

"Hey, Yuki!" Matt yelled, breaking the moment between them. He stared at Koji uncertainly as he said, "C'mon! We have to _go_! Hitomi's waiting!"

"Then let her wait!" Koji bellowed, startling Yuki and everyone around them. He turned back to the young woman, his grip still tight on her hand. "I really don't have anywhere else to go, Miss Usagi. It's either this, or I sleep on the streets." He cast a quick glance at Matt, who was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited. "You should go. Your mother's play toy is waiting for you."

"How do you expect me to go, knowing you're like this?" Yuki demanded, surprisingly ignoring the insult he made about Matt. "I'll talk to my mother. I'll ask her to make you my caretaker again."

Koji snorted. "Your mother hates me, Miss Usagi."

"She had no right to do this!" Yuki retorted. "She didn't even tell me the reason she fired you. Why _did_ she fire you, by the way?"

"Err…" Koji looked away, unable to answer her.

"Never mind. Koji, you're like a brother to me. I won't let her do this! K-koji?" Yuki stared at him in surprise when he dropped her hand. "W-what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Koji said, his voice suddenly cold and rough. "You should go."

"But—Koji—"

"Go! I have work to do!"

"Yuki!" Matt cried impatiently. He walked over and took her arm again, this time in a milder manner. "Come on! We're gonna be late!"

"But—" Yuki didn't have the chance to protest further as Matt pulled her through the icy streets. Koji watched as she hopelessly attempted to plead with the American to wait a moment longer. A pink plush doll dangled out of one end of her red bag as she tried to argue, but all of her efforts ended in vain.

As she disappeared around the corner, he suddenly felt angry. Was that all he was to her? A brother figure? Someone who could take care of her, but never love her?

He had half a mind to rip off her scarf from his neck. He was on the verge of doing it as well, but found himself unable to get further than clutching at it helplessly, torn between wanting to shred it to threads, and cherishing the scarf in Yuki's warmhearted act.

"Hey…uh…Garyou?" Koji turned to find the driver, who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Err…the garbage…"

"Oh. Right."

Leaving the red cloth in place, Koji returned his attention to the trash bags, tossing them into the truck angrily. He stomped over to the back of the alley and grabbed the large cardboard box, heaving it into the air.

Gods! It was heavy!

Koji was about to throw it into the truck when a voice from within the cardboard yelled out, "Hey! What the hell d'ya thing you're doing?"

Koji yelped and dropped the box in shock, backing away as a dirty, ragged man crawled out from inside the box. Running a hand through his matted, smut covered brown hair, the man yawned widely, revealing all of his yellow-brown teeth. After readjusting his worn, hole-ridden, black leather shoes, he looked around at his surroundings, blinking unevenly, when his bloodshot eyes fell on Koji.

"Hey Mac," he said in a wheezy whisper. "Spare change?"

Koji suddenly lost the ability to speak. The man sitting in from of him, the homeless, dirty, pathetic looking man…was his father.

Ikari closed his eyes and sighed. "For years…I lived alone. Nothing…but my job…to look…forward to. No one…but myself…to rely on. But…I lived."

Lil' Slugger dangled his feet, his face a pure look of boredom.

"You wanna know…the funny thing? After…the mess…you became…a legend. You became…a story that…parents told…their kids…to keep them…in line."

The boy looked up, his eyes holding a shadow of interest.

"But at the…same time…you became…a joke. No one…believed in you. You were…a gag. A made-up…nobody. A has-been. You know…what? That's what…you're going to…become…again."

Lil' Slugger growled, and lifted his bat, but his eyes were still clouded. Ikari chuckled.

"You…calm down," he wheezed. "I'm not finished yet."

The boy growled, and in fury, began to attack the nearby lamp, sending it crashing to the floor in one swing.

"I wonder if…that pink mutt's come back. You two…fought before…haven't you? You would…know. Wouldn't you?"

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he stood up and began to smash the drawer next to the bed.

"I wonder…if humanity can…keep withstanding you. They haven't…changed, and things…are only…getting worse…"

Lil' Slugger suddenly gasped, sliding off the bed and onto the floor as he clutched at his chest. He whimpered and groaned, curling up into the fetal position as his body began to shake wildly.

Ikari stared at the boy in shock. "What…the hell…is going on?"

The child twisted, and began to scream, a sound so horrible that Ikari had to cover his ears. Lil' Slugger screamed and howled, his body suddenly growing, lumping into strange forms, his shape becoming more and more bulkier…

"_Captain Usagiuma, you can't do this!"_

_Detective Koji Garyou stood in front of the teenaged boy, glaring at Captain Usagiuma with anger and defiance as the higher officer smirked arrogantly._

"_As it stands, the evidence says that the boy did it, _detective_. And forensics says that the kid's fingerprints were at the scene of the crime."_

"_Who did the fingerprint tests?" Koji retorted. "If it was Takeshi, then you're off your rocker! He always _conveniently_ finds evidence for the prosecution."_

_Usagiuma's face hardened. "Now _detective_, Takeshi is an experienced scientist, who's been here as long as I have. You may have brought in a few criminals, but watch yourself. You're still a nobody to me."_

"_Goddamn it! Arishima, back me up!" Koji turned desperately to his best friend, who was suddenly adjusting his contact lenses. "Arishima!"  
_

"_Garyou, just butt out of this," Arishima said as he looked away. "Let Usagiuma handle it."_

"_See? Your partner there knows when to keep his mouth shut." Usagiuma shoved Koji aside as he grabbed the whimpering teen by the neck. "Stay out of this, detective. Your job is done."_

_Koji growled, and grabbed Usagiuma's arm. "This kid is innocent," he snarled. "Give me a few more days to find the real criminal. I'll find him, I swear! But I'm not going to just let you throw an innocent kid's life away, just so that you can be promoted to Chief!"_

_All the nearby officers stopped what they were doing and turned to see what was going on. Usagiuma's eye twitched unpleasantly, before he shoved Koji's hand off. "Watch yourself, Garyou," he whispered in a menacing voice. "That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day." _

_Koji narrowed his eyes. "Your threats don't scare me."_

"_They should." Usagiuma stared at Koji for a moment longer, before pulling the boy roughly. "Come on. Get to your cell."_

"_I said leave him alone," Koji snapped. He turned to Arishima again. "Arishima, Come on! Help me out!"_

"_Leave me out of this."_

_Koji stared at his friend in stunned disbelief, before turning back to Usagiuma. "Fine! I don't care if I'm the only one who feels this way! Leave the kid alone!"_

"_SHUT UP!" Usagiuma roared. "I will personally remove you from the force if you don't get out of my way!"_

_Koji grabbed the older officer by the back of his shirt, and spun him around so that they were face to face. "Fine," Koji hissed as he drew back his fist. "I quit!"_

_It only took one hit, and one moment. Then, everything came apart._

0 + 0 + 0 + 0

_Koji groaned as he felt his bloody lip. After punching Captain Usagiuma, half the force jumped him from behind, pulling him away from the older man as they pinned him to the floor, beating him to a pulp._

_What really got to him, though, wasn't the fact that he was in jail. Jail he could handle. No, what got to him was that his supposed friend, Hotaka Arishima, did absolutely nothing to defend him. The bastard had just sat there, not looking at him, trying to pretend that nothing was happening…_

_Some friend he was._

"_Garyou!"_

_Koji looked up from his mattress. At his cell door, with a look of horror, was Lieutenant Gisei Usagi. _

"_Damn it, Garyou!" Gisei swore as he opened the door. "What the hell did you do?"_

"_Daddy," a soft voice scolded. "It's not good to curse."_

"_Sorry, sweetie," Gisei said, smiling lovingly at the speaker. Koji leaned his head to the side, and saw a small schoolgirl holding onto Gisei's hand. Her long black hair, plaited into two pigtails, hung down her back as she tugged at the end of her school uniform. In her hand was a long, white walking stick. In front of her eyes was a pair of black shades._

"_Anyway Garyou," Gisei continued, a smile etched on his face, "Come out of there and go home."_

"_Why? I'm stuck here."_

"_Not anymore. I paid your bail."_

0 + 0 + 0 + 0

_As he and Gisei walked home, he snuck peeks at the young girl Gisei had with him. Despite it being six o'clock in the evening, she was still wearing her shades, and was cautiously tapping the white stick from side to side as they walked down the sidewalk. Koji was so absorbed in observing her that he jumped when Gisei began to speak._

"_You're lucky that my girl's here," Gisei said in a disappointed voice, "otherwise I'd be all up and down on your ass. What the he—halibut were you thinking, hitting Usagiuma?"_

"_That it would hurt him," Koji replied, still watching the girl out of the corner of his eye. "That bastard only wants the Chief position. He's willing to throw innocent kids into jail just to boost his chances! What the h—heck was I supposed to do?"_

_Gisei sighed, and held onto the girl as they approached a intersection. "I'm supposed to handle this," he said. "You know that. You should have just told me."_

_Koji smirked. "I got angry. It doesn't matter anyway. I didn't think I could last much longer here." _

"_Garyou, you're only twenty-two years old. You have your whole life ahead of you."_

_Koji snorted, and refocused his attention onto the girl. "Just forget it, okay? Anyway, everyone knows you're the one who's gonna get the position of Chief. You can kick Usagiuma's ass in police work any day." _

_Gisei smiled, despite himself. "Flatterer."_

"_Not at all. So…who's this pretty lady?"_

_The girl blushed, and hid behind her father's back. Gisei laughed and said, "This is my little Yuki. Say hi to Mr. Garyou, sweetie." Gisei pulled Yuki towards Koji, and the girl shyly took Koji's hand._

"_Hello," she said, a small smile making its way across her face. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Garyou."_

"_You don't have to call me that. Koji's fine." His breath quickened when he caught a glimpse of her eyes behind her sunglasses. They were a pale blue, finer than ice itself._

"_Koji already?" Gisei asked in surprise. "Even that friend of yours, Arishima, doesn't call you Koji. Are you smitten, Garyou?"_

_Koji glared at Gisei. "Shut up! And that scumbag is no friend of mine. Not after the way he just sat there today."_

"_Easy, kid. I was just joshing. But seriously, you're gonna break it off with Arishima?"_

_Koji nodded as they crossed the intersection, holding on tightly to Yuki's hand. Gisei sighed. "I guess that means we won't have anymore evenings of bar-hopping."_

"_Nope," Koji agreed. "Say, why'd you bring your kid here to the station today? Doesn't that wife of yours usually pick her up?"_

"_Hitomi? She's been…busy lately." Koji caught a look of hurt behind Gisei's eyes, but when he blinked, the look was gone. "She's all excited about being a fashion designer, you know? It's always been her dream."_

"_She had to give it up when I was born," Yuki said suddenly, startling both men. "So I can't blame her when she forgets to pick me up sometimes. Even if this is the third time in one month."_

_Koji couldn't tell if that was a statement of understanding, or a shrewd insult. As they stopped in front of Gisei's apartment, he turned to the older man and asked, "So what's gonna happen? You can't just keep picking her up in the middle of work."_

"_Well, I was thinking of getting a caretaker," Gisei said slowly. His eyes slowly fixed onto the way Koji and Yuki held onto each other's hands, and he allowed a small smile to come to his face. "You want the job?"_

_Koji balked. "What?"_

"_How about it, Yuki?" Gisei asked, ignoring the shocked look on the younger man's face. "You want Koji here to take care of you while I'm at work?"_

_Yuki smiled. "That would be nice," she said._

"_Settled," Gisei declared as Koji began to sputter. "Garyou, I want you to start taking care of my girl in about two week's time. You'll pick her up from school, take care of her lunch, and protect her while I'm busy at the station. Pay isn't as much, but it's better than minimum wage, I'll promise you that. Well?"_

_Koji stared at the older man for a moment, not quite comprehending what had happened. Finally, he said in a weak voice, "Can I think about this?"_

"_Sure," Gisei said. "But when you do decide, tell me. It's not often I get to see my kid warming up to someone as quickly as she did to you."  
_

Ikari's eyes grew wider as Lil' Slugger stood before him. His form was now double the size of what it had been before. His body had bulked up in mass—the child, if one could still call it a child, had so many muscles that he looked as if he had been pumped to the brim with steroids. His clothing was now stretching to the point where it was about to tear, and his bat, if anything, looked even more menacing and twisted, for it had coincidentally grown along with him.

Suddenly, Ikari began to laugh. A soft wheeze came out of his throat, and slowly grew in volume as Lil' Slugger began to make his way towards him, his eyes fully glistening now.

"So…this is it," Ikari choked out through his wheezing laughter. "I suppose…nothing's changed…at all. You are…still the same…demon…I knew you…to be. You offer…an easy way out…a false hope…and you _know_ this!"

Lil' Slugger stopped in front of Ikari, his teeth bared in a wicked grin.

"I wonder…if that mutt…came back too? I remember…Maniwa…saying something…about you two…being the same. Ha…" Ikari wheezed in laughter. "You are…an unchangeable…being…as long…as society…remains…the same…"

Ikari stopped laughing. He lifted his head, and looked Lil' Slugger in the eye with a listless stare. A smile slowly made its way onto his face as he watched the boy raise his bat. "Misae," he whispered. "I'm not…as strong…as you are. But now…we can be…together…"

CLUNK.

He had no idea what he was doing.

He had no idea why this—this _bum_ was following him around for. He had no idea why he had brought the man some food. And he had no idea why he was sitting in a bar with this—this _bum_, as he stunk up the whole place with his stench.

"Hey son," Mukade said, clutching onto an empty beer bottle. "How 'bout another round? It's a celebration, after all! Me and you, here together after…err…something-odd years!"

"Twenty-four years, you bastard," Koji hissed. "Why the hell are you following me around? Go back to that whore you left me and mom for. Where the hell is she now, anyway?"

Mukade opened up another bottle and chugged half of it down in one gulp. "Ah! I don't have a fuckin' clue, kid. She threw me out after a while."

Koji snorted. "Bet you regret what you did now, huh?"

"Hell yeah! Lost my job, my women, and all my money! 'Course I regret it! Say," Mukade asked, his tone low, "how's yer ma, anyway? She doin' alright?"

"How the hell should I know? She's dead." In anger, Koji grabbed his mug of beer and swallowed all of the contents in one gulp. Mukade's eyes widened.

"You're kiddin'!" he gasped. "Why'd she die?"

"Suicide," Koji snapped coldly. "Anything else you want to know, _dad_?"

Despite being slightly drunk, Mukade narrowed his grime covered eyes. "Now see here boy," he said, sounding more like he did in the past, "I'm still yer father. Show me a little goddamn respect or I'll—"

"Or you'll _what_?" Koji hissed. "Beat it into me? Guess what dad? Hit me and I'll pound your fucking head into the ground. That's what years of good old police training did for me."

The bartender, who had been listening, said, "I thought you quit the force six years ago, Garyou."

"Shut up!" Koji screamed, throwing the empty mug at the man's head. The bartender ducked, and immediately scampered away.

"The police." Mukade snorted. "What did I always tell you 'bout them cops? They're nothing but good for nothin' bastards, who only care about fillin' their own wallets! That's why you quit, isn't it son?" Mukade stared hard at Koji's face. "That's why you're a trash man now, ain't it? Because behind that pretty dream was a big, ugly little _lie_."

Koji snarled, and shoved Mukade away. "Mind your own goddamn business!"

"Make me, mister policeman!"

"Shut your pieholes, the both of you!" another man yelled. "They're playing the Maromi song! I've been waiting all day for it!"

Both Koji and Mukade winced, and turned away. After a moment of silence, Mukade said quietly, "Look, Koji. I'm not gonna waste my time apologizin', because I have a feelin' you won't listen to it."

_Got that right, asshole._

"I'm a bum now. You're probably happy about that. And I have no goddamn place in the world no more. I want you to know that from my point, it looks like you're in the same boat."

"_What_?"

"Just listen, boy. As a trash man, I'm guessin' ya feel like shit. You don't have anyone to go to, now do ya?"

Koji gritted his teeth, but could find nothing to say.

"Sooner or later, you're gonna end up like me if ya keep goin' down this path. So get out of it now. Find someone, and go far away. Find a place to rest, don't stress yourself. Live someplace happy, and far away from here. Start anew."

Koji raised a brow. "Why the hell are you telling me this for?" he asked suspiciously. "What do you want?"

Mukade huffed. "Can't an old man talk to his kid? But as long as we're taking about wantin' things…can I borrow some money? For…err…_medicine_?"

_I knew it._

"What do you want it for?" Koji snapped. "Is it for medicine, or for drugs, you fucking son-of-a-bitch?"

"Hey! That's no way to speak to yer father!"

Clenching his fists, Koji grabbed his wallet and pulled out all the money he had, flinging it brutally into Mukade's face. "Take it!" he screamed. "Take it all! I don't give a damn anymore, you hear me? Take it all and get the fuck out of my life!" Whirling around, he stormed out of the bar as quickly as he could, trying not to listen to Mukade's greedy cries of joy as the older man scooped up the money.

_I hate him! Goddamn it, I hate him!_

A whistle blew in the distance as Koji continued to stomp in the streets. A cold wind blew, and he shivered, tightening the red scarf around his neck, before he stopped.

He slowly touched one end of the scarf, his fingers trembling with rage, both towards his father and Yuki's apparent indifference towards his feelings. His hand clutched the cloth as he shut his eyes, his body quivering with suppressed fury and reckless abandonment. When the anger subsided, he opened his eyes.

The area around him had changed. Houses were tilted at strange angles, the people were strangely misshapen, and the sky was dotted with fake looking stars. And everyone except him looked as if they had been _colored_, and rather poorly at that.

The whole city looked like a drawing, a drawing created by a four-year-old child.

"Good evening, detective," one of the misshapen men greeted as he walked by. Koji blinked. No one had called him a detective for a long time. He looked down, and found himself wearing a black suit, the same one he used to wear during his days on the force.

The red scarf remained in place around his neck.

"Detective, help!" one of the women screamed. "That homeless man stole my purse!"

Koji turned and ran towards a dirty, ragged man. The thief quickly turned at a corner, and when Koji chased after him, he found himself staring at a dead end. In confusion, Koji stepped back, and felt something under his foot. He checked what it was.

It was a ring that had a picture of Tsukiko Sagi's pink dog. For some strange reason, it didn't look so creepy anymore.

**Read and review.**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Maniwa: To begin…at the penultimate stage of play, the central characters fall into the place of their predecessors. The Snow Rabbit, despite its strong façade, reaches the limit where it can no longer escape the Fox's call. The Ant tries to follow the path of the Horse, seeking the connection between past and present, future and beyond**, **trying to resist the temptations of the world as the answer dawns to light…the armor of the sentinel and the sword of truth shall be his keys to the light! And then…**


	12. Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own PA.

A/N: My longest chapter yet. Thirty-two pages!

Thanks to all reviewers. Bigger thanks to Starlight's Delight for her mind-clearing advice!

**_Chapter twelve: Escape_**

_He faced his enemy at last as he silently drew his weapon. With his gloved hands tightening on the sword, the former scout, now a royal knight, rushed towards the unholy warrior, his red cape billowing in the wind, his black boots pounding against the ground as he ran…_

_Ta-da, ta-da…charge!_

CLANG!

The steel sword clashed against the metal bat, sending powerful vibrations through both weapons. The knight forced himself to maintain his hold on his sword as Lil' Slugger, the now misshapen demon he had sought after for so long, smirked at him from under the brim of his hat. Then, without warning, the child's strange golden eyes _twisted_ and _changed_, and in seconds became nothing more than two large, demonic, red _balls_. The knight's eyes widened from behind the transparent visor of his helmet.

"Oh, shit!" he swore as he quickly pulled back from his attack. Lil' Slugger took the opportunity to swing, _hard_, and the knight managed to block the bat just before it landed on his head. However, he underestimated the force of the blow, and had to back up slightly to regain his balance. While he retreated, Lil' Slugger changed tactics and whacked the knight hard on the ribs, the bat tearing through his chain armor, past his black tunic, through his soft flesh…

A dented umbrella fell to the side, as blood splattered the roof.

The knight cried out, holding his wounded side. Gasping, he looked up at the demon, who was already lifting his bat for another blow. Lil' Slugger was smiling in his demented way once more, and the knight could see through blurry eyes that the demon's teeth had become longer, sharper, like that of a wild animal's…

_No time to retrieve the sword,_ he thought, shutting his eyes as his thoughts whirled through his mind._ I can barely move now. What the hell am I going to do? Ancient Master, what am I going to do?_

His eyes suddenly burst open, and the knight gritted his teeth, growling.

The knight…was no longer a knight.

Using his police reflexes, Arishima dodged the bat as it hit solid concrete, the very spot he had been in moments before. Tossing aside the ratty towel that hung around his neck; Arishima quickly reached behind him and withdrew a gun that he had kept hidden in the back of his baggy black pants. He aimed the gun at Lil' Slugger, who had stopped, watching him with what could only be described as sheer curiosity.

"Put your hands on your head!" Arishima yelled, squinting through the broken, circular goggles covering his eyes. "Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!"

Lil' Slugger's red eyes widened for a moment, and his jaw dropped, as if he was completely taken aback. Then, he doubled over and laughed a low, deep rumble that shook the young detective to the core.

No way was that a human laugh.

"Are you fucking deaf?" Arishima screamed, his voice slightly shaking. His bicycle helmet slid down his forehead as he pointed the gun towards the demon's heart. "I said down on the ground—NOW!"

The creature laughed once more, and shrugged the bat over his shoulder as he straightened to his full height, which was a good four feet higher than Arishima. The demon wagged a finger mockingly in front of Arishima's face, before he turned and jumped onto the edge of the roof.

"HEY!" Arishima cocked the gun at Lil' Slugger. "Don't make me shoot you!"

The demon snorted, before he leaped off the roof.

"NO!" Arishima ran to the edge, looking down onto the streets. He saw nothing but a crowd of people, pushing past one another in an attempt to get home early. There was no sign of Lil' Slugger.

Arishima howled in frustration as he clutched his injury. He could feel the blood oozing down his sides, coating his hand, but he didn't care.

He had lost the demon-child again.

_Ta-da, ta-da…charge!_

----

"Drink flowers! Drink juice!"

Coughing heavily, Maniwa turned his head towards his younger roommate, who was presently sitting in his wheelchair, trying to pour juice into a pot of cluster amaryllises. He watched as Gisei squeezed the last drops of apple juice onto the dying flowers, before tossing the juice box to the floor, laughing merrily as he stroked the black, withered leaves.

"Pretty!" he said proudly, turning to Maniwa with a goofy grin. "Friend, look! Flowers pretty now!"

Maniwa only responded with a series of coughs.

He did not have much time left; this was for sure. Most of the nurses had abandoned the hospital, leaving the patients to fend for themselves. Many of said patients were already distressed, for they had not eaten for quite some now, but surprisingly, Gisei had managed to slip away and return with some food for himself and Maniwa, though how he had done this was a mystery, even to Maniwa himself.

Cough, cough.

This demon, this _new_ Lil' Slugger was the reason. Maniwa knew this, yet he felt powerless to do anything about it. However, the signs were there! The sudden rush of hopelessness amongst the people, the constant whispering between the remaining nurses, the sudden appearance of a heart stopping, disturbing pink dog…

Cough…_cough_!

There was no doubt about it. Both Lil' Slugger and Maromi had returned, with even more powerful impacts on society.

It had amazed him at how quickly their reputations had grown. Compared to their past, Lil' Slugger's use of fear and Maromi's ability to comfort had spread through Japan at an alarming rate. Even for the foul beings they were, Maniwa could not help but feel more wary than usual…especially because of their connection to _her_.

Maromi and Lil' Slugger's new human agent was similar, yet different from Tsukiko Sagi. Like Tsukiko, he doubted that the girl had a pure past. However, her personality, her strange, _overly_ mature personality, would make it harder for her to see the truth. He had no idea how to reach her, how to open her eyes when it was clear she couldn't even see _physically_…

COUGH! COUGH!

Bits of blood and saliva splattered against the inside of the mask. Maniwa took a staggering breath and shuddered. No, he had to hold on…his heir was not yet prepared to take his place…

"Ancient Master!"

Maniwa looked towards the window, his eyes immediately falling on a young man perched at the edge of the windowsill. His torso was covered by a thick, black tunic, as baggy black pants and black boots covered the man's legs and feet. His gloved hands were clutching his side as his red cape fluttered behind him, and he was grimacing underneath his helmet and visor. However, he managed to give a cocky smile when he noticed Maniwa staring. Gisei, who had been watching from the floor, was beside himself with joy.

"Funny man!" Gisei cried, and clapped his hands in happiness. "Funny man back!"

"Ancient Master," the knight whispered as he came away from the window, "I have failed you. I…I do not know what came over me. I found myself reverting back to my old weapon, my old methods…" He bent down on one knee, and lowered his head. "He escaped, master. Forgive me…"

COUGH! COUGH!

More blood splattered against the mask. Maniwa took a deep breath, trying to get his breathing under control, before turning to glare at the young knight. "Resist the trappings of conformity," he whispered, holding back the cough he knew was coming. "You must not retrogress into your old life…"

The knight's face hardened, and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment as a growl escaped his lips. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and Arishima stood up, his form hard and resistant. Maniwa watched as Arishima's clothing began to change; the chain armor and tunic became nothing more than a torn, dirty black sweatshirt, with equally dirty black sweatpants to match. The red cape became a ratty towel, and the knight's helmet became nothing more than an oversized bicycle helmet, the visor changing slowly into a pair of broken, circular goggles.

Arishima, the knight, had become Arishima, the man.

"You've got to be kidding me," Arishima, the man, hissed. "You expect me to beat that shit kid with _umbrellas_? How the hell am I supposed to catch him unless I shoot his fucking legs off?"

"No saying bad words!" Gisei scolded.

Maniwa glared at the young man. "The demon cannot be harmed with human weapons. You are not aiming to catch the Golden Fox…you must destroy him…"

"Oh, hell no," Arishima snapped. "I'm gonna catch him, and bring him back to headquarters. I'm gonna show everyone that I'm not crazy. I'm gonna get my job back. I'm gonna…I'm gonna…"

Arishima bent over and groaned, his body suddenly shaking. The man's clothing changed once more, and within moments became that of a knight's. When the convulsions stopped, the young knight bent down on one knee and said quietly, "Forgive me, master. I do not know what came over me."

Maniwa watched Arishima a moment longer, before shaking his head. "Find the child," he whispered.

"Pardon?" The young knight looked up, tilting his head in confusion.

"Find the Child of the Moon Crane…her story will lead you to the true origins of Lil' Slugger…and the Healer Dog that came with him…follow the Sleepy Bear! He will show you the path to the White Mage…the summoner…" Maniwa coughed, and shivered. He waved away Arishima as he came near, and pointed to a closet in the corner of the room. The knight hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Master…what am I supposed to do?"

Maniwa continued to point. "Inside," he whispered, "lies the sword…the weapon of truth that can bring the demon to his knees—" Suddenly, Maniwa began to cough and hack, a thin line of blood pouring out of the mask, dribbling down his chin.

"Master!" Arishima rushed to Maniwa's side, but he held up a wrinkled hand, stopping the knight as he wiped his bloody chin with his other, shaking hand. "I'm fine," Maniwa whispered. "Take the weapon…the armor…go find the Child of the Moon Crane…"

The knight hesitated, but only for a moment. He slowly went towards the closet, and opened the door.

Cough…cough…

A long, golden sword fell out, clattering noisily on the ground. As Gisei oohed and aahed in the background, Arishima picked it up carefully, his eyes widening behind his visor as his hands gently ran over the blade. "This is it," he whispered. "I can feel it! This will destroy him!" He looked into the closet again, and found bloodstained chain armor. At this, Gisei began to gurgle with excitement, as Arishima slowly slipped the armor over his tunic. "The armor of armors," he muttered.

He turned towards Maniwa, who had slumped back onto the bed with his eyes closed. "I will destroy the demon-child, master. I will have his head!" With that, he ran towards the window, jumping outside in a swift, fluid motion.

"Bye, funny man!" Gisei yelled as he stuck his head outside of the window. He turned to Maniwa with a grin. "Say bye too, friend!" he said cheerfully. He waited for a response, his eyes never once leaving the old man now lying motionless on the bed.

Silence.

"Friend?" Gisei shuffled over to Maniwa, and took the older man's face in his hands. "Friend?" He wiped the blood off of Maniwa's chin, and frowned. "Friend! Wake up!"

Silence.

----

She tried to make herself invisible.

As Yuki listened to the stagehands bustle around backstage, she stood in what felt to be a corner, telling herself that this would all be over soon, that she would be home the minute this was done, the minute this foolish interview with her mother was over with...

She never could understand why her mother enjoyed so much attention.

What made it worse, what made it that much worse, was the fact that the television station had mixed up the schedules. Instead of having the interview early in the day, as originally planned, the station had pushed the program later into the night, forcing her mother, Matt, and consequently herself, to stay at the station the whole day.

The only positive thing that happened was that she finally got her sketch back from her mother; the one Tsukiko Sagi had given her. She gripped the paper in her hand—it was crumpled beyond belief.

Needless to say, it hadn't been the best of experiences. Although many of the stagehands were missing, the few that remained asked her endless questions about her mother. With their pestering, combined with the scriptwriters forever asking her about the release date of her new book, she was more than a little frazzled. And the stomachache she had wasn't helping much, either.

"Don't be so negative!" a high pitched voice reassured her. Yuki felt something soft nuzzle her underneath her chin, and she gently touched the top of Maromi's head, allowing a smile to grace her lips.

"I can't help it," she whispered, feeling Maromi move around. "I just don't like all this…media attention. I'm not my mother." She giggled as his small paws tickled her neck.

"It's good to have _some_ attention," Maromi persisted. "Look at me! Everyone loves me."

"That's because you're small, pink, and adorable." Yuki said softly. "I just feel pressured and trapped when people ask me questions, and gawk at me like I'm some piece of meat. It's been this way since…I was a child." Yuki leaned against the wall and sighed. "I'm not comfortable like this. I wish Koji was here…"

"Don't think so much!" Maromi squealed. "Just try to enjoy what's happening! Anyway, what do you need _him_ for? He pushed you away last time, didn't he? You have me, Yuki! You have _me_!"

Yuki flinched slightly at the sharpness in Maromi's voice. "It's not the same," she whispered, before turning her attention towards the voices of her mother and the interviewer.

----

The bat fell to the ground as Arishima, the man, staggered against the wall of the alley.

What was he doing? Why the hell was he going on some wild goose chase when he could be out there, capturing Lil' Slugger? Who the hell was this, "Child of the Moon Crane," anyway?

Arishima gritted his teeth as he tried not to succumb to the pain—both the one in his head, and the one in his side. Damn it, he should have gotten that checked at the hospital when he had the chance.

He waited for a moment, until the throb in his brain lessened enough for him to think clearly. Ripping the ratty towel from his neck yet again, he picked up the bat, adjusted the bulletproof vest, and walked cautiously into the street. Thankfully, there were very few people outside tonight, and he could spare himself a little humiliation.

As he passed by a television display window, a figure on one of the screens caught his eye. He stopped, taking a moment to look, and his eyes narrowed in disgust when he realized that it was a Maromi plush doll, being held up by a talk show hostess.

Goddamn it, he hated those things…

"Isn't he the cutest?" the hostess giggled. "His eyes are so big, and his ears! You just want to tweak them all day long!" The hostess looked up at a woman with short, layered red hair, who was dressed very immodestly. "The sales for Maromi items are through the roof, especially that new CD that came out! How did you think of such a character for your company, Hitomi?"

Arishima, who was on the verge of walking away, quickly turned his attention back to the screen. Healer Dog…the old man from the hospital had mentioned a Healer Dog…

Hitomi laughed. "I can't get all the credit," she said, in a very pompous voice. "Some of the credit has to go to my kid. She's the one who found Tsukiko…Tsukiko something…anyway, my Yuki here's the one who found the artist who made the character. Good grief, the poor old woman was letting Maromi go to waste!"

Arishima pondered for a moment. Tsukiko Sagi…

"So you bravely rescue the puppy from falling into the shadows," the hostess commented, hugging her plush doll. "Is this woman a genius or what? Let's give it up for Hitomi, people!" An unseen audience clapped loudly, some of the male members hooting and catcalling in response. The hostess smiled as she waited for the applause to die down, before turning to a younger, plainer woman.

At the sight of her, Arishima's eyes widened, and his chest suddenly felt constricted. His thoughts suddenly blurring together, he reached up and touched the window of the display case, as if trying to reach her.

_This was…this was…no…I'm just being stupid…_

"Yuki!" the hostess greeted as she made her way over to the younger woman. She plopped down on the red sofa next to Yuki, and gave the woman one of the phoniest smiles Arishima had ever seen. "The hotshot writer of blood and gore! So, you're the one who found Maromi? How did you meet Tsukiko Sagi, then? We tried to reach her, but she never seems to be at home."

Arishima watched as Yuki fidgeted uncomfortably. Her arms tightened around a crudely made Maromi doll, something he took quick note of.

"I was looking for information on my new book," she said quietly. "I heard that Tsukiko Sagi may have had information on the Lil' Slugger from the past—"

At this the hostess squealed so loudly that Arishima winced and covered his ears. On screen, Yuki did the same thing. "You're researching Lil' Slugger!" the hostess squeaked. "He's the second hottest topic around! This is great! Two birds in one stone! But…wasn't he just a legend in the past?"

Yuki frowned. "There is evidence that says otherwise. I've met some past victims who claims he is real—"

"You wouldn't mind giving us the names of these supposed victims, would you?" the hostess asked.

"I—I—well, I can't just yet," Yuki admitted, slightly flustered. "You'll just have to read my new book—"

"EEEEEEEH!" the hostess squealed again, this time louder and higher than before. "I CAN HARDLY WAIT! I'LL DEFINITELY READ IT WHEN IT COMES OUT! EEEEEEEH!"

Arishima was sorely tempted to smash the television screen. He smirked when he saw that Yuki looked as if she wanted to do the same.

_Get past the blind factor, and she can really be sort of cute…_

A sudden pain went through his head. Gasping, he doubled over, his eyes squeezed shut, his brain feeling as if it was about to explode.

_No…not again…not this…_

He choked back the screams as he tried to hold on to his thoughts, his sanity, his very being. _No_, he thought desperately. _I am Hotaka Arishima, a former detective, a twenty-eight-year-old who is currently a vigilante…_

Another wave of pain washed through his mind.

_I am hunting Lil' Slugger…I am dressed up like an idiot…_

Pain…pain…

_I am_—_I am_—

Descent…

—_a knight._

Arishima, the knight, stood up and tied his red cape around his neck. Why on earth did he keep taking it off? He was so foolish sometimes.

He looked back on the screen and frowned. The maiden, Yuki Usagi, said she had gotten the information about Lil' Slugger _and_ Maromi from one person, Tsukiko Sagi. Was Tsukiko the connection he needed?

"Hi."

The knight looked down. Standing in the dirty snow was a yellow teddy bear with half-lidded eyes, which was yawning as it tugged on his pant leg. "Come on," the bear said in a low, sleepy voice. "I was told to show you something." Still holding his pant leg, it tried to move forward, but stopped when Arishima didn't budge.

"Where are you taking me?" the knight asked.

"To Tsukiko, of course!' the bear said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Stifling another yawn, the bear crossed its arms and gave what Arishima guessed was an annoyed stare. "Didn't the Ancient Master tell you? I'm supposed to lead you to the Child of the Moon Crane, so you can reach the summoner!" With that, the bear began to walk away. Bewildered, Arishima followed the bear, not really knowing what else to do.

Behind him, the talk show hostess continued to speak. "Well, enough about scary little boys with baseball bats! Say Hitomi, confirm this rumor for us. Is it true that you're going to marry your American boyfriend, Matt Sanders?"

----

Koji drank the beer in one gulp, sighing contently as he set the mug down on the poorly colored brown counter.

"That was good work, catching that wife-beater in the act," said the crudely drawn bartender, taking the mug and refilling it. "I don't know how this town managed to run without you, detective."

Koji laughed as the bartender set the filled mug down. "Just doing my job," he said. "It's nothing out of the ordinary."

The misshapen man sitting next to him snorted. "It _should_ be nothing out of the ordinary, but lately our cops have become corrupted and selfish. We need guys like you to show them the true meaning of protecting and serving the community."

"Yeah!" All of the men in the bar raised their mugs in agreement, cheering.

Koji flushed with pride. This was what he always dreamed of. This was what being a cop was about.

----

"So…some interview, huh?"

Yuki remained silent. Even though he was taking her home, the last thing she wanted to do was talk to Matt, her stepfather-to-be. After a long while, she heard Matt sigh as the car swerved to the left.

"Okay, I should have told you," Matt said quietly. "But with Hitomi and me being so busy, and with Maromi's increasing popularity…it just…slipped my mind."

Her hands tightened on Maromi, who was resting silently on her lap.

"And when I did remember," Matt continued, his voice suddenly becoming lower, "you always seemed to be in a bad mood. It's like…you don't want me around, or something."

The car made a sharp turn, and Yuki felt the contents of her stomach shift unpleasantly. Perhaps she should have sat in the back, instead of up front…

"I just want to be your friend," Matt said, his voice now so soft that Yuki had to strain to hear him. "I want to be your friend for the sake of your mother. I want to be your friend because you are Hitomi's daughter."

The car stopped so suddenly that Yuki felt her body lurch forward violently. She bit the inside of her lip in frustration—she had a feeling that Matt had done that intentionally.

"Yuki," she heard Maromi whisper. "We're home."

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to smile as she turned her head towards Matt. "Thank you for the ride," she said, in what she hoped was a pleasant voice. "Have a good night, Matt." She took off her seatbelt and reached for the door handle.

She was halfway out when a hand grabbed her arm and forced her back inside the car, as another hand clamped itself firmly around her mouth. The hand effectively muffled her screams as she heard the locks on the doors snap shut.

_Oh my god…_

"Listen you little bitch," Matt hissed venomously into her ear. "I've tried to be nice to you. From the day I've met you, I've tried not to make you my _enemy_." Yuki shrieked as Matt's grip tightened painfully on her arm, but again, her cries were stifled by his hand.

"I gave you flowers," he continued. "I tried to be understanding, and patient. When your mother fired that man fuck of yours, I had to wait on you hand and foot…pampering you…treating you like a fucking _queen_…"

Yuki felt Maromi squirming off her lap, and sobbed. Even Maromi was abandoning her! Why was this happening to her? What did she do wrong?

"You think Hitomi runs the company?" Matt asked suddenly. "You think she could have made it this far without _me_? Not possible, bitch. Nobody likes that whore, not with her high-and-mighty attitude. I could toss her out of the company with one phone call." Yuki gasped from underneath his hand, barely registering the sound of the doors being unlocked.

_He couldn't be serious_…

She froze when she felt his lips move against her ear. "I hold your mommy's fate in my hand, Little Yuki," Matt whispered. "So I advise you to be a little nicer to me in the future…_got it_?"

This was more than she could bear. Pain shot through Yuki's insides as bile rose in the back of her throat. Before she could stop herself, she retched and vomited all over Matt's hand, emptying her stomach of the little food she had eaten the past several hours.

A strong, rank stench immediately filled the inside of the car as Matt screamed and let go. Dizzy with nausea, Yuki twisted towards the door and fell out of the car, landing face first into the dirty snow.

_Get away, get away, get away!_

Small paws touched her face. "Yuki!" a high-pitched voice squealed. "Hurry! Get up and run to the elevator! The building is just in front of you!"

"Yuki!" Matt cried. "I'm sorry!" Yuki heard the sound of a car door opening, and panicked. Grabbing Maromi and her walking stick, she scrambled to her feet and ran towards what she hoped was the apartment building.

"Yuki!" she heard Matt cry. "Please wait!"

"Don't listen to him!" Maromi screamed. "You can't trust him! The elevator is right ahead!"

Panting, she pushed the glass doors aside as she stumbled into the building. She groped for the entrance to the elevator, arms outstretched, nearly crying in relief when her fingers cam in contact with cold metal.

"Yuki, hold on!" Matt screamed from behind. "Let me explain!"

The doors opened, and Yuki ran inside, her fingers numbingly pressing every button it came across. The elevator let out a small _ping_ as the doors closed, just as Matt made it into the elevator.

"Goddamn it, Yu—"

_Thud._

The elevator shook slightly as it began to ascend. Wiping away the last of the vomit from her chin, Yuki leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, bringing her knees to her chest as her body trembled with fear and fatigue. She couldn't think—her mind was numb.

Maromi on the other hand, was absolutely beside himself. "How dare he touch you!" he shrieked. "He had no right! People like him should be sent to jail and executed! That—that—mean poopy head!"

Yuki didn't respond. Instead, she reached for Maromi and brought him to her chest, hugging him hard.

"Yuki?" Soft fabric nuzzled the bottom of her chin. "Are you okay? Yuki, talk to me!"

Her grip tightened on the doll. Had Maromi been alive, it could have been crushed. "I want things to go back to normal," she whispered. "I don't my mother to be here…and I want Koji back."

"Why?" Maromi cried. "Why do you need him? You have me now! Forget about Koji!"

The elevator stopped. Yuki heard a gasp from a woman outside as she forced herself to get up. "Oh my stars!" cried the woman. "Are you alright, girl?"

Yuki forced a smile on her face as she unfolded her walking stick. "I'm fine," she said weakly. "Which floor is this, ma'am?"

"Fifth floor. You don't need any help?"

"No, thank you. I'll be fine." With that, Yuki slowly tapped her way out of the elevator, and felt her way to her apartment.

"Left," Maromi instructed, his voice lined with disappointment. "Left…go forward…right…okay, you're here."

Yuki felt Maromi shift in her arms, but she said nothing. Instead, she reached for the cold knob and opened the door, stopping for a moment to inhale the fragrance of pine cleanser and fully bloomed cluster amaryllises.

After Koji left, everything had slowly fallen apart. She found herself obsessing over small things, like cleaning the household. Her flowers had been tended to so zealously that she had to get a bigger pot for them, and she was positive that not one speck of dust remained in the entire apartment.

She found the challenge of cleaning everything on her own to be time consuming. She normally didn't do chores like scrubbing the toilet seat, or mopping the floors, because Koji had done all those chores, for obvious reasons. But she needed to take her mind off of the sudden loneliness, and the sudden fear she felt from being alone.

Her sudden obsession with cleanliness had its setbacks. Many household items had been destroyed during her cleaning, most due to the fact that she accidentally knocked them off of whatever shelf, table, or cupboard they had been in. She was so busy with cleaning that she didn't take much time to eat. Before the college had closed for vacation, one of her classmates had told her that she had lost a lot of weight.

She also found herself unable to concentrate on studying, and she found herself unable to focus on her book. It was foolish, for her deadline was closer than ever, but she was blocked, and had no desire to write. If anything, writing about Lil' Slugger only made her feel more paranoid.

Maromi tried to help out whenever he could, but he mostly told her to rest, and to relax. Sometimes she listened, but when she did, she felt a constriction in her chest, as if there was a great load on top of her body, and she found herself scared and worried over everything and nothing. It would bother her until she was out of bed, looking for something to clean.

Now, as she sat down on the sofa, she tossed her shades aside and buried her head in her hands. Koji seemed to hate her, and Matt was a monster who would soon be her stepfather. She couldn't even get a hold of detective Arishima! What was she going to do?

Soft paws gently touched her neck. "Yuki," she heard Maromi say. "Are you okay?"

Yuki paused for a moment, forcing herself to calm down before she nodded.

"Yuki…do you…really miss him? Koji, I mean."

Again, she paused. Then, slowly, she nodded.

Silence fell, before Maromi nuzzled her tenderly. "Don't worry Yuki!" Maromi reassured her. "I'll make everything okay. You'll never have to worry about anything again. I promise!"

Yuki smiled, and stroked the top of Maromi's head. Her apartment phone rang, but she let it ring until the answering machine picked it up.

"This message is for Yuki Usagi. Miss Usagi, please call us back. Your deadline is approaching, and we'd really appreciate it if you contacted us as soon as possible. Thank you, and have a happy holiday."

----

"That little bitch."

Matt swore as he rolled down his windows, trying to get the smell of vomit out of his car. His hands clenched with fury on the steering wheel as he contemplated his situation. He wasn't sure whether or not Yuki would alert her mother about his little "talk" with her, but he'd be damned if he didn't go down without a fight.

He picked up his cell phone and pressed speed dial. He waited for a moment, before smiling. "Hey Hitomi! I just dropped your kid off. Look, I need to talk to you about Yuki. She's a good kid and all, but…I think she's coming on to me." Matt smirked when he heard Hitomi's startled gasp, followed by a series of angry rants. "I don't know, she's making all these weird advances towards me, and it's starting to creep me out. Okay sweetie…well, we can talk about this later, okay? Love you—"

Suddenly, something rammed into the front of his car. Matt screamed as a white airbag exploded from the steering wheel, protecting him from injury as the vehicle spun violently through the icy streets, the tires screeching loudly against the road before the whole car crashed into a lamppost at the end of a sidewalk corner.

Dizzy but mostly unharmed, Matt groaned as he looked up from the airbag, pushing the white material away from his face. As he did so, his hand brushed against something metal and twisted. For a moment, he thought this was a piece of the car. Then he looked up.

His gaze fell upon a pair of the most gruesome, most demented red eyes he had ever seen. He wasn't even sure if they were eyes—they looked more like _balls_ than anything else. Next to him was his cell phone, lying forgotten in the midst of all the confusion.

"Matt? Matt baby? Are you there?"

Matt could only stare in horror at the red eyes. His mouth fell open, but he couldn't utter a single word. The creature smirked from underneath his red baseball cap, and lifted what appeared to be a twisted, golden baseball bat.

"Matt! MATT!"

Could this be? Was this the infamous Lil' Slugger? The one Yuki was always talking about—

CLUNK.

----

Room five hundred ten.

In the apartment, Arishima stared at the ruins before him, taking in everything from the smashed television set to the scattered drawings of stuffed animals on the floor. Lying face down on top of an unmade bed was an old woman.

Next to her hand was an empty bottle of pills.

"She killed herself just a few hours ago," the teddy bear said suddenly. "It's sad. Tsukiko tried so hard to send them away…to send them _back_. She couldn't do it. She just _couldn't_…" The bear covered its mouth as it yawned deeply.

Arishima, the knight, looked from the bear to Tsukiko Sagi. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked. "I was supposed to find the Child of the Moon Crane, but she's dead! What good is a dead woman when I'm trying to find and capture one of the most ruthless demons known to man?"

"Quack!"

Arishima spun around, his eyes falling on a red doll shaped like a duck. The duck hopped off a black drawer that was hidden in the corner of the room, a drawer that had many other stuffed dolls, all staring at him…whispering…snickering…

The duck waddled past him, and stopped in front of a broken laptop computer that looked as if it had been tossed carelessly to the floor. It turned around, staring at him with vacant eyes as it said in a series of quacks, "Answers! If answers you want, look here. Everything here! Quack!"

Arishima, the man, stared at the duck in disbelief through his goggles. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he muttered.

"No cussing," the bear said, rubbing its eyes.

"You good at computer, no?" the duck asked, pecking at the damaged machine. "You find answer. Answer, here."

"That thing's broken!" Arishima yelled. "I can't work with damaged goods—oh crap, look at me. I'm talking to a goddamn doll…" The bat fell to the ground as man turned away, clutching at his helmeted head. "Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone…"

The duck continued to peck at the computer, and in moments the screen flickered, and a white text box was displayed. "Fix!" the duck hollered. "I fix! You look now!"

The knight turned back to the computer, his eyes glimmering beneath his visor. "Great. Let's see now…" Pulling the computer onto his lap, Arishima's fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes focused on the screen before him.

"Be careful," the bear warned him. "That thing doesn't have much power left."

"Uh-huh…Ah-ha!" Arishima smirked in triumph as a newspaper clipping came onscreen. "About fifty years ago, a twelve-year-old girl claimed that she had been attacked by a young boy in rollerblades and a baseball bat…the first crime of Lil' Slugger. The victim was—" he stared at the screen "—Tsukiko Sagi."

"Poor Tsukiko," the bear mumbled. "Poor, poor Tsukiko…"

"Why?" Arishima asked. "Why did Lil' Slugger attack her first?"

"He no attack!" the duck protested. "No attack master!"

"He never attacked her," the bear said, yawning. "She faked the attack."

The knight stared at the stuffed animals in shock. "Faked? But why?"

"Maromi," one of the dolls from the desk whispered. "She did it because of Maromi. It's all Maromi's fault…"

"Maromi?" Arishima, the man, thought hard, before pulling his goggles away from his eyes. "Isn't Maromi that new doll that's really popular right now?"

The bear and duck nodded. "Maromi was once real," the bear said. "He died one day, because a car crushed him in the streets. Tsukiko only let go of him for a minute, but that was all death needed…"

"Tsukiko scared of father," the duck continued. "No want punishment. Lie to father, save herself. Create demon. Forget lie later, forget demon later."

Arishima thought for a moment. "Repressed memories?" he asked. The stuffed animals nodded. "In her fear of her father, she created Lil' Slugger in her mind…he was born from her fear and paranoia…"

"Maromi came back," the bear said. "As a doll, like us. But at the same time, Tsukiko had to lie again…and she brought back the demon as well. I suppose you know the rest…you consider him a legend, after all."

Arishima, the knight, stared at the dead woman lying on the bed. "Did she bring them back _this_ time?" he asked. The dolls shook their heads.

"Not master!" the duck yelled. "Not master!"

"Not Tsukiko entirely," the bear said sleepily. "A woman and a man came a few months ago. They were asking her all sorts of questions; questions that shouldn't have been asked…Tsukiko gave a picture of Maromi and Lil' Slugger to the woman. She _really_ gave them away."

"To who?" Arishima asked, his voice rising. "_Who was it_?"

"Woman same!" the duck bellowed. "Woman same, master same! Woman different, master different!"

"The woman was very quiet and soft spoken," the bear said. "The woman carried a red bag, like Tsukiko used to carry, and she wore these black glasses...they almost completely covered her eyes, but they were so light, so…blue. It makes you kind of sleepy, really, when you look at them…"

Arishima, the man, felt his jaw hit the floor. "You can't be serious," he whispered. "Are you telling me that Tsukiko gave Lil' Slugger away to _Yuki_?"

"And Maromi," the bear added.

"No…this can't be." The towel again falling from his neck, Arishima stood up, his mind in a state of confusion. "How would Yuki be able to recreate Lil' Slugger? How? I don't get it…she can barely see her own hand in front of her face!"

"Mean!" the duck screamed.

"No…this can't be…no…" Arishima suddenly felt light-headed. The room began to spin, and colors blurred together as the floor came closer and closer. He touched his side and realized that his wound had reopened, badly. Before he could think, everything went black.

----

"Get up!"

The blankets were ripped away from her body as Yuki jerked herself out of sleep. She groaned, one hand unconsciously reaching for the sheets as she buried her head further into the pillows.

"Five more minutes, Koji," she mumbled, holding Maromi to her chest.

"Koji isn't here," a woman's voice hissed. "It's just mama, _sweetie_."

The iciness of her mother's tone woke Yuki immediately. Forcing herself to sit up, she turned to where she thought her mother was and managed to smile. "Morning, mama. What brings you here so early in the morning?" She sniffed the air and nearly gagged. She could smell _alcohol_…

"Matt's dead," her mother snarled, causing Yuki's blood to run cold. "They found him and his car in a state of ruin. They say it was Lil' Slugger."

"L-Lil' Slugger?"

"The brat hit him so hard that his head was split in two. I was barely able to recognize him."

As Yuki listened, she noticed that her mother's voice was more angry than sorrowful. She didn't sound drunk, so she was still sober, but her tone was cold, and had an accusing undertone. Not only was this unsettling, it was disturbing and scary.

"I spoke to him," Hitomi said, her voice suddenly becoming coy. "He mentioned something interesting about you, _dear_. Do you have anything to tell me? You _were_ the last person to see him alive…other than Lil' Slugger." The bed sank to one side as Hitomi sat at one end.

Yuki froze. Several thoughts ran through her head at once—all centered on Matt and his violent behavior towards her. If he was exactly the kind of man she thought he was, he would have called Hitomi after their little episode, and put some ridiculous story in her head, to counteract any allegations that might come later. Yuki frowned. Her mother was so distanced from her that she wouldn't believe anything other than the word of her now deceased boyfriend.

Yet…yet…part of her wanted to tell her mother everything Matt had said, and that she was glad that he had met such a fate. She wanted to yell at her mother, screaming that she was still her daughter, her _flesh_ and _blood_, and that she should be trusted over anyone else. However, her quieter, more rational side won out in the end.

"Whatever he told you is no longer of any consequence," Yuki said quietly. "He's dead now, isn't he? The situation is over with." She listened to her mother's deep breathing and waited. She was treading on very thin ice…she heard Hitomi sigh loudly and bit her lip.

"I suppose we can discuss this another time,' her mother said, her voice tight and controlled. Yuki felt Hitomi take her hand. "The wake is tomorrow. Wear that black dress I sent you last year."

"Wake?" Yuki repeated, feeling a sudden chill go down her spine. "Mama…I don't want to go to his funeral."

She felt Hitomi's hand clench around hers. "Baby, you have to go," Hitomi said, her voice rising again. "Family, friends, and relatives all have to go."

"I'm not a part of his family!" Yuki cried. "I'm not his relative, and I am certainly not his _friend_!"

"How dare you say that!" Hitomi screamed, flinging Yuki's hand away. "He drove you around for months, ever since that no-good Garyou left!"

"He wouldn't have had to if you hadn't fired Koji!" Yuki yelled back. "How could you fire him? I need him! He's in a horrible state now, thanks to you!"

"And how would you know that?" Hitomi sneered. "Have you been seeing him?"

"I—I—that's none of your business, mama!"

"Just what exactly is going on between you two?" Hitomi asked, her tone accusing and cold. "Just how deep is your relationship?"

"Relationship? Mama, Koji is like a brother to me! I need him in my life!"

Her mother began to laugh, a cruel, sarcastic cackle that shook Yuki to her very core. "_Brother_!" Hitomi laughed. "You see him as a brother! And here I thought you two were screwing each other! Oh, this is rich!"

Despite the situation, Yuki felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Screwing? How could you even think we would…mama, I trust Koji! Besides, he's not interested in me like that!"

Hitomi cackled again. "Ha! Say whatever you want, baby. Say and believe whatever you want." The bed creaked as Hitomi stood up. "So…you're not coming to the wake." This was a statement.

"No," Yuki replied. "I don't want to." She could feel her mother's anger, all of which was directed at her.

"Very well then. See you later, _baby_." Yuki listened to the sound of her mother's high-heels as she walked out of the room, and flinched as the door slammed shut. She bit her lip, trying with all her might to stay calm.

"Yuki?" Maromi nudged his head against her clenched fists. "She's gone now. Just relax…_relax_…"

Yuki took several breaths, frowning as she inhaled the smell of alcohol along with the scent of cluster amaryllises. After a moment, she lifted Maromi off of the sheets, and began to make her bed. There was going to be a lot of cleaning around the household today…

----

Arishima, the man, awoke to a foul smell lingering in the air. He choked and coughed, trying not to breath as he sat up in the cold apartment, shivering slightly as he rubbed his bare arms.

_Wait a minute. Bare arms?_

Arishima looked down and saw that not only was he shirtless, but his side had been bandaged and cared for. His eyes strayed to the decaying corpse on the bed. Good god…did that thing…

"Ah, you're awake!"

Arishima turned to see a stuffed white dove flocking next to him. A nurse's hat was placed neatly on its head, and it stared at him, smiling with its stitched-on, fake looking smile. "Did you do this?" he asked groggily. The dove nodded.

"I was made to heal and cure," the dove said in a soft coo. "I am a healer dove…one of Tsukiko's many rejects."

"Too bad," Arishima mused, sitting up slowly. "You did a nice job." He reached for his sweatshirt and bulletproof vest, slipping them carefully over the wound. "Where's the bear and duck?"

"Sleeping," the dove said softly. "Do you know what you have to do now? Or do you need to know more?"

Arishima, the knight, adjusted his red cape. "I know what I must do," he said quietly. "But because of who's involved, I need more time. I need to clear up some facts…find the link between Tsukiko and Yuki." He frowned. "I really don't like where this is going…"

"Good luck," the dove cooed. Arishima nodded and got up. He headed for the door, but before he left, he stared at the corpse one last time.

"You had it easy," he whispered.

He closed the door behind him, and didn't look back.

----

The dark haired, misshapen woman cried out in joy as Koji came up to her, smiling. A poorly drawn, brown haired boy clutched his hand tightly, his head lowered as they stopped in front of the woman.

"Oh detective!" the woman cried. "You found my son! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She bowed to Koji gratefully, before bending down to smother her son in kisses. "Oh my boy! Are you alright? Are you hurt? Are you injured in any way?"

"Mooooom!" the boy whined, trying to pull away from his mother's embrace. "You're hugging and kissing me in front of the cooooop…"

"Don't you ever run away like that again!" the woman yelled. "I was worried sick! If it wasn't for the detective, I would have gone crazy trying to look for you!"

"Sorry mom…"

The woman turned to Koji. "Thank you again detective. I don't know what the town would do without you."

Koji smiled. "It was no problem, ma'am. I just do what I can for the community."

"Thank you, detective…thank you…" The woman and son walked away, the mother scolding the son gently as the boy mumbled several more apologies. Koji chuckled. _Mothers…_

A young woman's giggling snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw a woman and a man, both poorly drawn, walking down the street hand-in-hand. They both nodded to him as they passed by, but Koji looked away.

He suddenly felt very lonely.

----

Keeping a tight hold on the bat, the knight jumped off the back of the truck, landing on his feet gracefully as he stared at the building before him.

A large sign read BUNNY-HOP FASHIONS.

He had spent the whole day searching for information about Yuki Usagi. This proved to be harder than expected. There was almost no public information on her at all. There were small biographies in the back of her books, but they only stated facts he already knew. He had to hack like he never hacked before to get any information of value, and what he found only led to more questions.

Unfortunately, those questions could now only be answered by one person. Hitomi Usagi.

It was late afternoon when he approached the building. Using the growing darkness as a cover, he snuck past the guards at front. He ran past the dazed receptionist, who was listening to the song, _White Hill_, and slipped through the doors of the stairways.

It was a well known fact that Hitomi Usagi worked on the highest floor of every one of her corporate buildings around the world. Doing so made her feel…special, so to speak. However, with news of the death of her fiancé, he focused on another portion of the building, to a place where all the depressed and stressed went to. The basement bar.

He crept downstairs, making sure to hide in the shadows. When he reached the entrance, he was surprised to see that the large bouncer was on the floor, giggling and holding on to what appeared to be a Maromi doll.

"See da pee-tee dog-gie!" he sang. "Lookee at pee-tee Ma-ro-mi!"

Arishima, the man, shook his head. The guy was drunk beyond belief. Stepping over the bouncer, he walked into the barroom, looking for Hitomi. The search didn't last long.

"Gimme some more Port, Mac!" the middle-aged woman roared, banging her glass against the counter. "I'm still a bit sober!"

Even though he had seen her on TV, he still had trouble believing this scantily clad, over-obnoxious woman was the mother of Yuki Usagi. He had seen her once or twice when he was part of the police force, but she had been more…pretty, looking more like Yuki back then.

Now…with overdoses of make-up on her face…ugh.

"That's what I'm talking about," Hitomi giggled, watching the bartender pour the alcohol into her glass. She grabbed the boy's arm as he left. "Leave the bottle, honey! I'm gonna be here a while."

"Err…Mrs. Usagi?"

"Hmm?" Hitomi turned to Arishima with a dazed look in her eyes. She blinked for a moment, her eyes going from Arishima, to the bottle of Port in her hand, before finally resting on the young bartender. "Honey…maybe you should take the bottle back. I must be more toasted than I thought."

"You and me both," the boy said, his own face frozen in shock. He took the bottle back, and began to walk away slowly. "I think I'll go home…"

Arishima frowned, before focusing his attention on Hitomi. "Mrs. Usagi, I'm not here on a social matter. I have to ask you a few questions."

Hitomi raised a brow. "What are you, some kind of freaked-out fan boy? I'm not in the mood to answer any questions, okay? Leave me alone."

"It's about your daughter, Yuki."

That got her attention. Hitomi's eyes narrowed as she gave Arishima a searching look. "What do you want to know about her?" she asked suspiciously. "You some tabloid reporter, or something? Well, I've got news for you, goggle-boy. Yuki's never done anything to get into the big news. She's not smart enough, clever enough and definitely not _pretty_ enough."

Arishima's eye twitched unpleasantly. "Listen lady," he snapped. "I really don't give a damn about what you think. I'm here for details on a car accident that occurred six years ago, that involved both your daughter and your ex-husband!" With that, he slammed down a very old, very tattered piece of paper on the counter.

It was a torn-out newspaper article. In bold print, the title read: _Cop and Handicapped Daughter: Victims of Hit-and-Run_.

"I looked for the doctor who examined them," Arishima said, "but he seems to have died mysteriously a few months back. Since no one else seems to know any detail on the event, I though I'd ask _you_."

Hitomi said nothing.

"Yuki wasn't hurt in the accident," Arishima pressed, holding the article in front of Hitomi's face. "At least not to the extent Gisei was. But there's something in the article that confuses me. Something else happened that day, didn't it?" Arishima stared hard at Hitomi's face, his eyes narrowing behind his goggles. "Tell me. Tell me what happened."

The middle aged woman snorted, before flinging the article clipping away. "What's there to know?" she snapped, returning her attention to her drink. "My kid and ex-husband got run over. My kid's now _completely_ blind, and Gisei is a retard for life. The end." Hitomi downed the glass of Port.

Growling, Arishima grabbed Hitomi by the shoulders and forced her to face him. "There's more!" he yelled, shaking her like a madman. "There has to be more! Nothing else fits, nothing else makes sense! Tell me exactly what happened to Yuki on that day! I know that _something_ happened to her! I can feel it!"

"Are you crazy?" Hitomi shrieked, shoving his hands away. "Why the hell do you want to know about that blind whore? All she does is cost me money, and take my men away from me!" Hitomi grabbed fistfuls of her hair and began to tear at them wildly. "It's all her fault!" she screamed. "Why'd she have to be so _fragile_ and _useless_? It's all her fault! It's all her fucking fault!"

----

"_Have any of you heard of the ten percent theory? Some experts believe that the average human uses only ten percent of the brain's actual power."_

"_Professor, what does this have to do with mythology and folklore?"_

"_Think child! Think! If the ten percent theory is true, then maybe the tales of demons and deities are real after all! Maybe those characters are merely humans who managed to tap into some psychic power, who learned to use more than the average ten percent—"_

Click.

Pulling her finger away from the tape recorder, Yuki turned her attention back towards the library typewriter, trying with all her might to focus on writing the last chapters of her book.

It wasn't going well at all.

She fingered the sketch that rested in her pocket. She sat in silence for a moment, listening to Maromi wander around on the desk, before a thought suddenly struck her. "Maromi?"

She heard Maromi stop. "Yes?"

"Did you happen to know a woman named Tsukiko Sagi?"

Silence.

"Maromi?"

"No," Maromi finally answered. "I don't know anyone by that name. Why do you ask?"

Yuki frowned. "No reason," she said quietly. _Perhaps Tsukiko Sagi was a bit strange after all._ She pushed the woman out of her head. There was no point to her now. The woman was another dead end.

"I still don't see why you had to come to the library," Maromi muttered. "You could have just stayed home and rested, instead of coming here, through the snow and cold, just to write a book about that mean old Lil' Slugger."

Yuki bit her lip in frustration, and glowered in Maromi's direction. "Maromi, if you're not going to be constructive, could you at least be quiet? I have to finish this! I've put it off for too long!"

"You didn't have to leave the apartment."

"I can't focus there! I keep finding things to clean, for crying out loud! I—" Suddenly, her cell phone rang. Resisting the urge to curse, she picked it up and tried to speak in the calmest voice she could muster. "Hello?"

"Miss Usagi? This is Aki, from Red Fire—"

Yuki cut him off. "Sir, I know the deadline is near, but I'm not finished yet! Please, stop pestering me like this! I'm trying my best to get it done!"

"Miss Usagi, we need to know how far you're along—"

"I can't work if you keep holding an axe over my head. I'm trying my best. What more do you people want from me? I'm not a miracle worker!" Yuki's voice began to crack with anger and frustration. "Please, just stop calling me! I _will_ get it done, and I will alert you when that time comes! Stop hassling me!"

"But Miss—"

Yuki shut the phone off, not bothering to let the man finish. Her hand clenched the phone in a vice-like grip as she bit her lip again, holding back the scream that lodged itself in her throat. Panic, anger, fear, worry…all these emotions bubbled within her at once, yet she had no idea how to relieve herself of them. She was on the verge of exploding, merely from all the stress and frustration she was feeling.

_Just relax_, she told herself. _You're just going through a stressful period in your life. If you keep a relatively cool head, you can get through this._

"I'll be okay," she said softly. "I'll be okay…"

The phone rang again. Yuki groaned; it was probably Aki again. She had half a mind to disconnect the phone from its battery, but she held back. What if it was someone else, like her mother? Not that she wanted to speak to the woman... Wishing more than ever that she could see the Caller ID, Yuki opened the phone. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Miss Usagi. This is Hotaka Arishima."

Yuki frowned. Hotaka Arishima? She thought for a moment, trying to match the voice to the name…before she gasped with realization. "Detective!" she cried. "What happened? Where were you all these months?"

"Miss Usagi, I know what happened."

Know what happened? "Detective, what are you talking about?"

"You're the reason Lil' Slugger exists today."

Yuki's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

"Miss Usagi, you have to remember. Think about what happened six years ago, with your father!"

"My…father?" Yuki repeated slowly. "Detective, what does my father have to do with anything? And what do you mean I'm the reason Lil' Slugger exists today? How?"

"Yuki!" Maromi cried, crawling his way up her arm. "Don't listen to him! He doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Yuki didn't hear him. "I'm the reason?" she whispered. "But…how? What did I do?" She thought for a moment, trying hard to figure out what Arishima meant. "What did I do?"

"Miss Usagi, your mother told me everything. It's not all your fault. I understand. But you still have to take responsibility for what you did! You and your father—"

He never got to finish. Yuki yelped as Maromi yanked the cell phone away from her hand. Seconds later, a loud crash echoed through the entire library, permanently cutting off the phone conversation.

"Maromi!" Yuki cried, all rational though leaving her. "How could you? I didn't even get to find out what he was talking about!"

Maromi growled from his position on her arm. "He's a bad person. You can't trust him, Yuki!"

"What did he mean, I have to take responsibility? What did I do?" Yuki stood up and paced, racking her head as she slowly became more and more frustrated. "What on earth did I do?"

"Nothing!" Maromi cried, making his way up to her shoulder. "Yuki, don't think! You're getting stressed!"

"How is it _my_ fault?" Yuki went on, not noticing Maromi. Her pacing increased, and her voice began to rise. "How is it my fault that a little boy is running around as a serial killer? My book didn't even come out yet!"

"It's not your fault at all!" Maromi cried. "Please, stop thinking!"

"I don't even remember what happened six years ago! _What does he want from me_?" She was nearly screaming now, and her pace was becoming frantic. "_What does everyone want from me_?"

"Yuki! Just stop!"

"STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!" Yuki shrieked, all anger finally reaching its peak. "I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN! I DON'T WANT TO!"

Crash!

Yuki stopped. Something was at the entrance of the library…

CRASH!

Someone was…rollerblading inside? Yuki's blood froze in her veins as the librarian's screams echoed throughout the library. What on earth was going on? She felt Maromi tug at her shirt collar frantically.

"Yuki!" he screamed. "It's Lil' Slugger! Don't just stand here! RUN!"

There was a long, screechy _creak_, then a booming CRASH! Yuki shrieked as she turned and ran, with Maromi dangling on her shoulder, as another _crash _resonated behind her.

"He's knocking over the bookcases!" Maromi cried. "Go to the left, Yuki! I see an emergency exit!"

Yuki turned, and gasped in pain as her arm slammed against something hard and wooden. _Darn bookcases!_

The rollerblades were coming closer. She could now hear someone chuckling in a low, rumbling voice. She almost stopped in surprise and shock. This was a _child_?

"Yuki!" Maromi shrieked. "It's just ahead!"

She reached her outstretched arms, trying to feel the metal of the door. Just as her fingertips brushed against the handle, something grabbed her around the waist and threw her backwards. Yuki screamed as her back smashed against what felt like another bookcase.

_I'm never coming here again!_

Books fell on her head as pain shot through her body. She whimpered and curled into a ball as the sound of rollerblades approached, growing louder and louder until they finally stopped in front of her. She could feel eyes on her…watching her…he was laughing at her…

"S-stop it," she heard Maromi whimper. She could feel him digging into her shoulder, trembling. "L-leave her alone!"

The boy…creature…simply chuckled. Yuki froze as something cold and metal pressed against her cheek. No…this couldn't be the same boy…not from before…

"Leave her alone!" Maromi yelled. "She's all we have left! There's no one else to go back to! You know that!"

Despite the situation, Yuki felt confusion fill her mind. What was Maromi talking about?

"NO!" Maromi was hysterical now. What was going on? "STOP IT! YOU'LL KILL HER!"

_Kill? Oh no! _She was going to die…

CLANG!

----

_Ta-da, ta-da, charge!_

Arishima, the knight, held the bat back with his golden sword as the demon glared at him, his sharp fangs bared as he hissed. Arishima smirked from behind his visor. "Sorry kid," he said. "But the maiden's coming with me!"

He heard Yuki gasp from behind him. "Detective? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later!" he yelled as he pushed the bat back, and swung at Lil' Slugger's midsection. The demon lowered his bat in an attempt to block, but his weapon was knocked aside as Arishima pushed through.

_Squish._

It felt no different that stabbing a pillow. Lil' Slugger's eyes widened as Arishima pushed the sword in deeper and deeper. Then, without warning, the knight kicked Lil' Slugger right in the face, causing the creature to fall backwards, the sword sticking out of his body in a strange angle. The demon twitched several times, before becoming still.

Arishima smirked, before turning to the trembling woman behind him. He bent down and gently touched her arm, frowning when he felt her flinch under his hand. "My lady," he said gently. "It's me. It's just me."

"I—I—Why are talking like that?" Yuki asked, her voice filled with fear and mistrust. She scrambled backwards, away from his touch. "You sound like—like that boy from the station. The one that committed suicide!"

The knight stared at Yuki in shock, before laughing. "Neko? I assure you, I'm nothing like Neko! I am the next prophet, the knight that will protect the next generation from darkness—"

"Stop!" Yuki screamed. "Just stop! First you tell me that I brought in Lil' Slugger, and now you're babbling about knights and darkness? Detective, do you want to know what I think? I think you've lost it! All you're doing is confusing me, and _I won't have it_!"

In the midst of the confusion, neither Arishima or Yuki realized that Lil' Slugger was slowly coming to.

Arishima opened his mouth to argue, but before he could utter one word, pain exploded through his head. Shock ran through every nerve of his body as he doubled over, gasping, grabbing onto the first thing within reach.

Yuki shrieked as his hands pawed at the hem of her sweater, and she tried to beat him away, her hands slapping at the top of his metal helmet…or was it a bicycle helmet? It was a knight's—no, it was a bicycle—

"Y-Yuki," he gasped out, trying to see through the pain. "H-help me, please—I can't—I can't think—I can't—oh god!" He pressed his head against her stomach, trying to keep his mind intact. "God, help me!"

"Release me at once!" Yuki screamed. "Detective, you are suffering from some sort of delusion! Release me and I can find the proper help for you!"

"Hurts—oh fuck, it _hurts_!" He tightened his grip on her sweater, his goggles pressing painfully against his eyes. "HURTS!"

Suddenly, something grabbed him from behind, and flung him away from Yuki. He listened to her screams as he slammed against the wall and slid to the floor, his eyes still blurry and unfocused.

Groaning, he looked up, trying to see. He saw a blurry outline of a large _thing_ stampeding towards him, bellowing so loudly that there was no doubt that it was pissed. Fear slowly crept into his mind, and Arishima reached behind him, all logic lost.

"Die!" he screamed, firing a round at Lil' Slugger. "Die! Die, die, die, die, die!" He fired from the gun again, and again, and again…he fired until the gun was empty, before he finally realized that the bullets weren't slowing Lil' Slugger down at all…they were going right _through_ him, as if they were just going through air…

He screamed and covered his head with his arms as Lil' Slugger swung.

_Ta-da, ta-da…charge!_

CRACK.

----

Yuki had screamed and ducked when she heard the gunshots. She was going to die, either by Lil' Slugger or by the detective's strange, insane fits.

"Yuki!"

Maromi. Yuki lifted her head towards the direction of the doll's voice. "Maromi!" she cried, trying to be heard over the gunfire. "Where are you?"

"Here! Follow my voice!"

Keeping her head down, Yuki crawled towards Maromi's voice. She bit her lip when she heard the young detective scream, and forced herself to move faster when she heard the sickening crack that followed afterwards. She crawled until she felt her head bump against something flat.

"Go through the door, Yuki!" Maromi yelled, and the flat object swung aside. "Go through the door, and don't look back!"

She heard the sound of rollerblades approaching, and quickly crawled through the door—only to fall into an empty abyss.

Empty abyss? Where did this come from?

"Maromi!" she screamed, trying to grab something, _anything_, that would stop her fall. "Help me! Maromi!"

Suddenly, her head smashed against something sharp, pointy, and hard. Her screams died in her throat as she sank into unconsciousness, into nothingness.

----

Static.

In their home, Wamu shook the radio as his Dan-bi and Jan-bi sewed the finishing touches to their new doll, a knight. Because of the sudden disappearance of the nurses, Wamu had been forced to take his daughters home.

Good thing his wife had insurance…

"Daddy, put White Hill back on," Jan-bi said, not taking her eyes off of the doll.

"I'm trying, baby," Wamu said, shaking the radio again. "There seems to be something wrong with this hunk of junk…"

The door to the apartment suddenly opened, and slammed shut. Wamu looked up questioningly as his wife came in, looking as pale as a ghost. He tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong, dear?" he asked.

His wife said nothing. White and shaking, she held up a small sheet of paper in one hand.

She had been fired.

----

Migoto Taira frowned as she searched through her bag. Where was her Maromi keychain? She had just brought the damn thing…maybe she left it in her locker?

She went to her locker and flung it open—only to stop in shock.

Her red cell phone was placed neatly in one corner. Next to it was a rattle, a pair of baby booties, and a note, written in big, red letters.

_Baby-killer!_

----

Jakkaru sighed as he sat in his cell. This wasn't so bad. He could had done worse, really, than a measly two years in jail.

His cell door opened. _Oh great…a new roommate._ He looked up, about to tell the guy to fuck off, when the words suddenly died in his throat.

"Hey Jakkaru," Nezumi sneered. "It's been a while, you rat."

----

"Oh, Nanashi…I can't find my Maromi scarf! I swear, I just had it a second ago!"

Nanashi sighed as he watched his girlfriend search frantically for her scarf. Deciding to ignore her, he looked back towards the cosmetics section, where a row of eye shadow stood, waiting to be tested.

He didn't know why, but he just couldn't get his body to react around women. Sure, his memory was a bit fuzzy since the accident, but his…err…_parents_ wouldn't lie to him. They'd tell him if he was…unusual.

Yet he couldn't resist the pull he felt to the make-up, and to his shock, to men. Was this new? Was this a result from the accident? He didn't know, didn't want to know.

Still…

He slowly walked into the cosmetics department.

Still…

He picked up the green eye shadow.

Still…

----

"Good evening, detective."

Koji nodded to the innkeeper as he walked back to his room. It had been a long day, and right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. Maybe have a beer, and a smoke or two, then sleep.

He inserted the key into the lock, and opened the door, expecting nothing but a clean bed and a small television set waiting for him. Yawning, he stretched his body lazily and turned on the light.

_Oh my god…_

Slumped on the floor, with a thin line of blood oozing from her forehead…was Yuki.

----

**Oh the humanity…Read and review.**

**Prophetic Visions**

**Unknown: To begin…the end is near! Every step has been taken, every move has been made! The Rabbit and the Dragon, finally reunited, awakens to secrets harbored in the recesses on one's mind...note! Are the followers the same as the predecessors? Can the path to utopia still be found? Will the cycle be broken, or will things remain the same…unmoving…unchangeable? The Golden Fox laughs as the Rabbit cries…and then…**


	13. Unchangeable

Disclaimer: I don't own Paranoia Agent. This is very depressing…

A/N: I…AM…ALIVE!

It's the last official chapter. It's confusing, yes. It's a bit disturbing, yes. Ending may upset some.

Thanks much to all reviewers…you guys were the best.

_**Chapter thirteen: Unchangeable**_

"Goddamn it…what the hell's the matter with this thing?"

The stout man swore as he twisted the radio knobs angrily. He tried to get the song, _White Hill,_ back on, but all he could hear was static. Buzzing, buzzing static.

_Stupid cheap car radios…_

He slapped his hands on the steering wheel in frustration, and grudgingly twisted the knobs again, hopping from one radio station to another until he heard the deadpan voice of a news reporter. He stopped when the word "Maromi" hit his ears.

"_There seems to be no explanation for the citywide disappearances of Maromi merchandise. People are running half naked through the snow and cold due to loss of clothing, and as we speak, mobs are forming outside of every store in Japan, particularly those belonging to Bunny-Hop Fashions, now changing its name to Maromi Galore…_"

The man's jaw dropped. All of the Maromi merchandise was gone? That couldn't be. What was he going to do without Maromi, and that wonderful, wonderful song _White Hill_? The man's grip tightened on the wheel. No...NO! He needed that song!

Splat.

A drop of what appeared to be black pus dripped down the windshield. The man stared at the pus for a moment, watching it slide down the glass with horrid fascination, before another drop fell onto the windshield. And another. And another…

SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!

Slowly, the man looked up, his eyes widening as he realized where the pus was coming from. Or more accurately, _what_ the pus was coming from.

_Oh…my…god…_

The large black blob flooded over him, completely covering him and his car in moments. The man's muffled screams resonated through the area, growing louder and louder in volume…before fading away, bit by bit, until there was only silence.

----

A bloody hand curled around the corner of the building.

"_Where's Maromi? Where's Maromi?"_

His armor was ruined…his tunic was in shreds…

"_NO! I need Maromi!"_

Bits of his helmet were embedded into his head.

"_Maromi! Maromi! Maromi!"_

Arishima, the man, dragged himself across the pavement, as people ran about in panic. He gritted his teeth as pain tore at his body, but he forced himself to move on, to keep fighting.

He needed the old man…now!

He had survived Lil' Slugger's attack, by a combination of luck and miracle. When the demon child was striking, Yuki had been trying to escape. The demon had caught this, and as a result, had been distracted right in the middle of his blow. The attack had not been as strong as it should have.

Another stroke of luck was the fact that he had been wearing a helmet. Not that it was of any use _now_, as it was lying in pieces in the library, but it had allowed him to live…for the moment.

He pulled himself through the streets. People ran past him, over him, even _on_ him as he dragged himself towards the hospital. There were no nurses when he reached the entrance, only half-starved patients, moaning and dying at every corner.

He reached the elevator, and pressed the "five" button with one, bloody finger.

_Yuki…_

----

Koji sat on the bed, gently wiping Yuki's forehead with a wet cloth. Every now and then his fingers would brush against her cold skin, skin that had not held a trace of color since he found her on the floor. The bleeding had stopped a while ago, but she still hadn't stirred. The only thing that assured him that she was alive was the rising and falling of her chest.

She was a wretched sight to behold. Her body, already slim when he left her, was now on the verge of being skeletal. Her color was pallid, contrasting the dark bags under her eyes, and she looked so fragile that it seemed as if one touch would shatter her to pieces.

Yet she was still beautiful.

Koji felt a smile make its way to his lips. With an unsteady hand, he pushed a stand of hair away from her face, away from her closed eyes. He hesitated for a moment, several thoughts running through his head, before allowing his hand to rest on her cheek.

A pleasurable shiver went up his spine as he caressed her smooth skin. Never before had he attempted…never before had he even dared to do something like this to Yuki outside his dreams…yes, perhaps this was all just another dream…

A soft moan snapped him out of his trance, and he hurriedly pulled his hand away as Yuki's eyelids began to flutter. He watched, with bated breath, as she slowly opened her eyes.

She blinked for a moment, groaning quietly, before turning her head towards him. For a moment, Koji froze—it was as if she was actually staring at him, that she could actually _see_ him—but that was impossible. Yuki was _blind_.

She blinked again, as if she was trying to get her eyes in focus. Koji smiled, and gently touched her hand. "Hey," he whispered, interlocking his fingers through hers. "You okay?"

Yuki didn't respond. Instead, she raised her other hand and touched his face, her fingers tracing the lines in his skin. "Koji," she murmured. He nodded, and held her hand tighter. Yuki frowned, and slowly rose, wincing as she struggled to sit up and get off the bed.

Koji rushed forward to help her. Without her walking stick, it was almost impossible for her to get around…but she turned to him and lifted a hand, stopping him. Koji was shocked. How had she known he was coming?

Yuki slowly hobbled over to the mirror, without any help, without feeling her way across. Her eyes fixated on the glass, widening. One hand rose to her face, the fingertips gently brushing against the skin of her cheek. She turned to him, as a smile slowly formed its way across her face. It was then he realized it.

Yuki's eyes were now a dark, rich blue. They were clear, seeing, and completely focused.

He wasn't sure if he liked that.

----

He fell out of the elevator, landing face-first onto the cold floor. There was a loud _crunch_ as his nose smashed against the marble, and in seconds, dark red blood smeared down his face.

_Get up…get up!_

Blood dripped from his chin as he pulled himself across the floor. His head began to throb and spin unpleasantly. As he forced himself to move, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body, and he stopped, curling on the floor, biting back the screams as his body racked with hurt.

He wanted it to stop. He wanted it to end.

Through blurry eyes, he saw a door open next to him. His vision was starting to fade as he heard an audible gasp, and flinched as a pair of hands touched his head.

"Funny man!" the person cried. "You bleed! Friend bleed too! Why?"

Arishima couldn't answer. He slowly closed his eyes and rested his head in the person's hands, as the world slowly turned black.

----

Jakkaru coughed up blood as he curled into the fetal position.

"Not so cocky now, are you, traitor?" Nezumi sneered, giving Jakkaru a toothy grin as he nudged his head with his foot. "You little shithole. It's all your fault this mess started in the first place. You little cocksucker. What'd the cops have to do to get you to talk, huh? Did they make you suck their dicks? Huh?"

Jakkaru tried to speak, but was cut short when Nezumi stomped on his throat.

"Shut your goddamn mouth! I don't want to hear your rat voice!" Nezumi snarled at Jakkaru, before giving him a sadistic smile. "I'm gonna make you suffer. It's going to be nice and slow. I'm not gonna let you die. You don't deserve that, bitch."

Jakkaru whimpered and shut his eyes. Gods, that bastard cop lied to him. The only reason he confessed was to avoid this scenario, and look where it got him…

_Make it stop. I'll do anything, I'll sell my soul…just make it stop, please…_

When Jakkaru opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of a large black mass devouring Nezumi alive.

----

_The thirteen-year-old girl sat quietly on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest. Heavy books on criminal psychology were scattered all around her as she stared vacantly ahead with her useless eyes._

"_I don't understand, Koji," she whispered. "Why did he do it? Why didn't the man stop? Why did he just drive on, instead of stopping, and calling for an ambulance?"_

_Koji sat on the edge of the bed, inches away from Yuki. "He's a messed up bastard, Yuki. That's why."_

"_I'm trying to understand him," she went on. "I keep thinking, if I can at least know why he did what he did, then maybe I can feel a little better about what happened. But it's just so hard." Yuki pressed her forehead against her knees. "I can't do it…I can't…"_

"_I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't," Koji said gently. "It's not easy to forgive people like him. In fact, I don't think anyone can. But you have to move on, Yuki. Forget about what happened in the past. You have to think about the future. Your future."_

_Yuki sniffled. "I guess you're right," she said softly. She then lowered her legs, and went over to Koji, hugging him. "Thank you."_

_Koji froze, before tentatively giving the girl a kiss on the cheek…_

Koji watched sullenly as Yuki ran from here to there, without his help. With the disfigured Maromi doll sticking out of her sweater pocket, she examined everything she came across, occasionally asking him if this object was red, or yellow, or some ridiculous color that he didn't care about. He forced himself to smile and nod as she beamed, but he couldn't help but feel cheated.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long, much needed drag.

This was a mockery. During the long months of their separation, he had wanted her back, yearned for her in an almost obsessive way. He needed her, even loved her, because she gave him a sense of belonging—a sense of feeling needed.

However…now…it was clear that she no longer needed him.

"Oh, Koji!" Yuki cried as she looked around the poorly colored neighborhood. "I never knew that the world was like this. Everything's so…pretty!"

"I suppose," Koji mumbled.

Yuki smiled, and stopped in front of a small coffee-and-doughnut stand that stood on the corner of the street. She stared in awe over the disfigured pastries, and quickly asked the vendor for two cups of coffee, with two chocolate doughnuts.

The vendor had his back turned to them, so Koji didn't immediately notice, but when the man spoke, Koji knew at once who it was.

"Of course, Miss Usagi. And may I say, you look astoundingly lovely today…"

Arishima turned to Yuki with two doughnuts in his hands, and gave her a cheeky grin. Koji's jaw hit the floor as Yuki stared at Arishima thoughtfully.

"Detective?" she asked, slowly lifting a hand to reach his face. "Is that you?"

Arishima's grin grew wider. "Yes. And I have a message for you. Go to your father, Yuki. Go home, away from here."

Koji would have none of this. This was _his_ world; Arishima had no right to be here! Grabbing Yuki's arm, he yanked her away from the stand, ignoring her yelps and protests along the way.

Neither of the two noticed the stand suddenly collapsing into pieces.

----

Migoto Taira trudged through the streets in a daze, holding the baby booties and rattle in one hand, while she held her red cell phone tightly in the other. She walked slowly as people pushed past her, all screaming as they ran from some monster, all crying as they searched for their beloved Maromi.

_Maromi…_

No, it wasn't Maromi she was searching for. There was something else. Something was calling her, something that she _knew_ would give her peace, sanity, and freedom from this—this place.

_Take me…God of Darkness, God of Eternal Blackness, take me far away…_

"Migoto!" Kazuki Ushiyama grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her away from _It_, her savior, her salvation. "Migoto, what are you doing? We have to get away form here!"

"Let me go," Migoto whispered, her eyes looking forward. "I have to get away…I want to get away…"

"Migoto, please!" Kazuki pleaded. "We have to go!"

"Can't go…can't…"

"Migoto!"

Migoto looked up and saw the face of her father in the window of a nearby building. She blinked for a moment. He looked…worried? That bastard actually looked worried? What did that son-of-a-bitch have to worry about?

Kazuki suddenly gasped. Migoto turned to where he was staring, and saw the large black blob rush towards them. She smiled, and turned to Kazuki. Before he could say a word, she wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him straight on the lips moments before the blob descended upon them.

----

"Koji, I just want to know—"

"Enough, Miss Usagi."

"But Koji, detective Arishima—"

"I said _enough_, Miss Usagi!"

Yuki opened her mouth to argue some more, but thought better of it when Koji gave her a piercing glare.

They were in a bar of some sorts, one that unusually crowded despite the fact that it was only midday. Yuki watched as Koji downed a large mug of beer, before she frowned and turned to Maromi, who was shaking his head solemnly in her pocket.

"I _told_ you," he whispered. "I _told_ you he wouldn't be the same. I knew he'd be no good for you…"

"He is a bit cranky," Yuki admitted, "but he'll calm down. I just don't understand why he wouldn't let me talk to detective Arishima…"

"That's the only good thing he's done so far!" Maromi squealed. "I told you, you can't trust him! He's a bad man, Yuki, and he only wants to take you away from me!"

"Why would he do that?" Yuki asked. "All he was talking about was Lil' Slugger."

Maromi fell silent. He looked away for a moment, before diving back into the depths of her pocket, out of sight.

"Maromi?" Yuki poked at her bulging pocket gently. "Maromi? Are you alright? Maromi?"

"Yuki?"

Yuki looked up to see Koji's worried face. "Who are you talking to?" he asked.

Yuki glanced from at her still pocket, to Koji's face, and back. She smiled nervously, and shook her head. "It's no one, Koji. I was just…thinking some things over."

"While talking out loud?" Koji said, in disbelief.

Yuki flushed in embarrassment. Why wouldn't Maromi come out? "Err…well…"

"Excuse me, miss? Complimentary drink, on the house."

Yuki turned around, and found herself face to face with one of the waiters...who looked just like the man from the coffee stand. The man smiled, and gave her a smirk. "When you finish your drink, Miss Usagi," he said, "you should really consider going home. You have unfinished business, if I recall..."

"Arishima!" Koji yelled, standing up so suddenly that his chair flew backwards to the ground. "Goddamn it, can't you leave us alone?"

Yuki watched as Arishima's features suddenly turned grim. "In the past, I would have, Garyou. But this is a different case. You and that dumb pink mutt aren't helping Yuki. You're imprisoning her!"

Imprisoning?

"Shut the fuck up!" Koji bellowed. "What I do is my business!"

Arishima snorted, before he turned his attention back to her. "Miss Usagi, please…I don't have much time. When you first met Tsukiko Sagi, you gained control of Lil' Slugger and Maromi because the two of you share a common link—"

"I said shut up!" Koji screamed, and grabbed Yuki's arm, pulling her out of the bar as the entire place crumbled to the ground.

With Arishima still inside.

----

Nanashi cried as several containers of make-up were torn open on the pharmacy counter. His mother let out a cry of dismay as he tried to hide his face from her, tried to hide his eyes from her.

"I can't stop," he whispered, as his mother picked up a sample of green eye-shadow. "I need this…it's who I am…"

His mother said nothing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nanashi asked suddenly, turning his gaze to his mother. "Why did you tell me that I was straight, when you _knew_…"

"We thought we could fix you," Mikomi said quietly. "We thought…if you didn't know…we could fix you…"

Nanashi began to cry as the black blob suddenly flooded the store.

----

_The sixteen-year-old girl stumbled slightly as she tried to turn the corner of the sidewalk. Koji quickly grabbed her, and helped her steady herself as she clung to his arm for support._

"_This is hopeless," she moaned. "I'll never see light again. It's been three years. I'm going to stay this way for the rest of my life." She squeezed Koji's arm. "I'm sorry. I must be such a—a burden."_

"_Don't be upset," Koji said as they crossed the street. "I like taking care of you. It's my job, isn't it?"_

"_Well, _you_ like it. But what about the future? Who's going to want to marry a blind girl, who can't even see her own hand in front of her face?"_

"_Well," Koji said, in a low voice, "you can…you can always marry _me_."_

_Yuki smiled, and laughed. "Well, that's true. _You'll_ always be there for me…"_

_His lips twisted into a weak smile as the approached the high school. As they passed a group of boys, who were eyeing Yuki with interest, Koji gave them a bone-chilling glare._

_Those idiots should know better than to crave something they couldn't have._

Well, it was official. Yuki was no longer on speaking terms with him. When they got back to the hotel, she shut herself in the bathroom and refused to come out.

He considered breaking the door down, but after his little display at the bar, such an act would only frighten Yuki more. That was the last thing he wanted.

_It's all Arishima's fault,_ Koji thought bitterly. _I don't know how the hell he came here, but if I ever see him again…_ Koji punched a pillow angrily.

"Aww, you wouldn't do that to me."

Koji froze. Slowly, he turned around, and his eyes fell on Arishima, who was sitting calmly on the sofa, with his legs stretched out before him. There was no smirk on his face this time, only a serious expression, with a serious voice tone to match.

"Koji, _enough_," he said quietly. "Look, I know that you want her. I can't really blame you, 'cause I want her too. But what you're doing…it's sick. You can't keep her here, Garyou."

Koji stared at the man who was once his best friend. "I'm not letting her go," he said.

"What good is it to keep her here?" Arishima yelled, standing up so that he was face to face with Koji. "Look at yourself! You're miserable. Keep up the jealous act, and you're going to make _her_ miserable too!"

"As long as she's with me—" Koji began.

"—Japan will fall into ruin," Arishima finished. "Lil' Slugger is tearing the whole damn country apart. Yuki's the only one who can stop him now. But she can't do that as long as she's here! You're covering up the truth, and you can't do that to her!"

"She can _see_ here!" Koji yelled. "She can _see _here!"

"What's going on?"

Both Koji and Arishima turned to see Yuki emerging from the bathroom. Koji was reduced to silence, while Arishima shook his head.

"You stupid son-of-a-bitch," he muttered. Slowly, he faded away, right before their eyes. Yuki gasped, and reached out her hand, touching the man's cheek just before he vanished. Koji didn't move.

"Koji," Yuki whispered. "What's going on? What just happened?"

Koji remained silent. _She could see here_, he told himself. _She could see…something she always wanted…_ Yuki blinked nervously, before gently touching his arm. "Koji? Koji…are you okay?"

But then, this wasn't real. None of this was real. He wasn't happy. Not like this.

He didn't respond to her. Then, without a word, he grabbed her arm, and pulled her into a tight embrace, crushing her body against his own.

"K-koji!" Yuki cried, her voice filled with fear and surprise. "W-what are you doing? Let go!"

He held her tightly with one arm. With the other, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Maromi ring he had found days before.

The dream was over.

Ignoring Yuki's struggles and protests, he threw the ring to the floor, and stomped on it with his foot, crushing the plastic into hundreds of tiny pieces. At once, the world around them began to dissolve. The poorly colored objects, people, etc…all were melting away, peeling off like strips of old paper, until the real world began to shine through. Then, with a sound like the shattering of glass, the fake world exploded, and hundreds of thousands of Maromi merchandise began to shower around him like rain.

In his arms, Yuki suddenly went still.

----

_No._

Darkness eclipsed her once again. All around her, she could hear screaming. All around her, she could hear crying. She could smell debris, and blood. She could feel Koji's arms around her, confining her tightly to him.

She couldn't see one _fucking_ thing.

"No!" Tears spilled down her now useless eyes as she pummeled at Koji's chest, trying to get away from his touch. "NO! How could you? I was able to see! I was able to see, Koji! How could you! HOW COULD YOU!"

Koji didn't respond. Instead, she felt him pick her up bridal style as he began to run.

"Stop it!" she screamed as she struggled to get down. "Put me down! _Put me down! _I hate you! Maromi! Detective! Where are you? Help me!"

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed in the distance, and the screams around her intensified to ghastly levels. She bit her lip and tried to shut out the noise as Koji ran on.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The smell of falling debris everywhere, and sounds of something fast approaching were the only things that kept Yuki from letting go of Koji. Like it or not, he was the only thing that was protecting her from whatever was going on in the area.

She felt him lower her down, and pull her through some door. At once, the smell changed. She first thought it was the hospital, but she rapidly dismissed the thought. There was a stench in the air, a stench so foul that she thought she was in some sort of butcher shop. The smell of rot and decay was _everywhere_.

Koji pulled her roughly by the arm, and she soon felt herself get pushed into an elevator. She felt the buttons and paled.

This _was_ the hospital. The smell, it was that of rotting human _flesh_…

Below her, she thought she heard a crash. She heard Koji swear as the elevator abruptly stopped, and he yanked her out immediately, pulling her to god-knows-where. She panted as she struggled to keep up with his pace, and crashed into him when he suddenly stopped.

"Funny man…"

Yuki let out a startled gasp. "Papa!" Pulling away from Koji, she ran towards her father's voice, only to trip over a large object on the floor, which grunted as she fell on top of it. Paling, Yuki quickly felt it. It was a human man, who had his head covered with a sticky, wet sheet. Lifting the sheet slightly, she felt the man's face. "Detective Arishima!" she cried.

"Arishima?" Koji bent down beside her. "Shit, it _is_ him! What the hell happened to him?"

"I don't know," Yuki said. "But we can't leave him here. Where's my fa—"

Suddenly, something grabbed Yuki from behind, holding her around the chest in a vice-like grip. Yuki screamed and tried to twist away, but the object behind her only tightened its grip, and began to wail.

"Pretty lady!" Gisei cried, his head pressed against her back. "Scared! _Scared_!"

"Papa," Yuki gasped as she tried to get him to release her. "Let go of me!"

"Yuki," she heard Koji say. "We have to go!"

"Wait! Papa, please!" Yuki struggled again, but this time she felt something crawl onto her lap. Detective Arishima…

"No! Detective, get off!" She tried to push him off, without hurting him, but the man only groaned, and held her firmly around the legs, resting his head on her thighs. "Get off! _Please_!"

She tried to pry Gisei's hands off of her, and tried to shove Arishima's head off her lap, but the young man was a deadweight, and Gisei held on, his grip becoming tighter and tighter as he cried, as he _screamed_, "NO WANNA! _NO WANNA!_"

He was holding her so tightly that she was starting to have difficulty breathing. Finally, she screamed, falling limp against her father as tears spilled from her eyes. Reaching out one arm, she tried to find Koji. "Koji! Koji, help me! Koji, please! _I need you!_"

She groped frantically, but each desperate clutch only resulted in her grabbing air. The rumbles in the distance grew louder, and she panicked. "Koji!_ Koji! _Where are you? KOJI!"

It was then she heard it. It was faint, so faint that she would have missed it if she hadn't been concentrating, but she heard it.

Koji's footsteps were echoing in the hallway, growing fainter and fainter as he ran away from the room. Away from her.

He had abandoned her.

"No." Yuki couldn't believe it. She _refused_ to believe it. "NO! KOJI! COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE!" She tried to get up, but again, she was held down by Arishima's body and Gisei's crushing hold. "PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Her father suddenly gasped. She felt him press his forehead against her back, his tears soaking through her sweater as Arishima groaned and clutched at her legs.

It was then she realized that something was touching her face.

_It_ smelled foul, putrid, nauseating…_It_ felt slimy, disgusting, and chillingly cold…_It_ was touching her face, the goop coating her lips, her cheeks, her trail of tears…

She froze, not even daring to breathe. A low growl met her ears. Its…thing…slowly left her face, and began to curl around her neck. _It_ didn't tighten its grip, but _It_ continued to touch her…her shoulders, her arms, her body….Yuki let out a breath. Perhaps if nothing disturbed _It_, _It_ wouldn't harm her.

Gisei suddenly whimpered.

The moment was lost.

Both Yuki and Gisei screamed as _It_ poured down upon them, shoving itself into their mouths forcing the air out of their lungs, sucking the heat right out of their bodies as the darkness around Yuki suddenly intensified, and threatened to swallow her whole.

She couldn't describe it. She felt everything and nothing at once. She felt every bit of pain imaginable, as her body experienced sinful pleasure beyond all belief. Gisei's arms were still around her. Arishima still clung to her lap.

She let herself go. She sank slowly into the depths of the blackness which she feared for so long.

_At last…_

----

Her cheek was pressed uncomfortably against cold concrete, the rough gravel scratching her soft cheek as she slowly came to. Bright light flooded past her eyelids, making Yuki wince as she lifted a hand in front of her face to block the rays.

Her eyes shot open.

At first, everything was blurry, cloudy, and unclear. Then, bit by bit, her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, until blobs began to take a definite shape, and colors began to rearrange themselves into their proper positions. Unlike the _other_ world, this time, she could see clear-cut shapes in the buildings. Objects around her had a cleaner look to them, with no patches of white in their coloring, and the passerby actually looked more or less like her, more or less like humans.

The only thing she knew was wrong was that none of the other people had faces. No eyes, no nose, no lips…

She squinted as the sunlight came in direct contact with her face, and turned to a nearby car. Her eyes then fell on what she assumed was her reflection on the car window.

Her eyes, normally pale and cloudy, were a dark, focused blue once more.

She was briefly wondering if this was another one of Maromi's tricks, when she heard soft chimes in the distance, like the chimes she used to hear when she was in elementary school. She followed the chimes, and soon found herself in a courtyard. A school courtyard…

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and a mob of faceless children poured out of the nearby building. Yuki yelped and shut her eyes as the children ran straight towards her…but felt nothing. She cautiously opened her eyes, and gasped when she realized that all of the children were going straight through her, like she was some sort of ghost.

Where in gods name was she?

"Yuki! Where is your mother?"

Yuki snapped her head towards the direction of the speaker. She remembered that voice…it belonged to her sixth grade teacher. Her eyes fell on a thin, bony woman who was glaring angrily at a little girl with pigtails, one who was holding a white walking stick in trembling hands as she spoke in a small voice. "I don't know, ma'am. She promised she would be here…"

The bony woman snorted in disbelief. "That's what you said the last time, Usagi. And the time before that. And the time before that! I told you and your parents that if this happened one more time—"

"She promised she would be here!" the little Yuki cried, her voice cracking as a tear slid down her face. "I don't know why she isn't here…maybe something came up…"

The bony woman snorted again. "Something always seems to come up in your family, doesn't it?" The girl remained quiet, and turned her face to the ground. The bony woman went back into the building, mumbling. "Stupid girl…she can see light, why can't she just go home by herself? Not too dark yet…"

Yuki watched as the girl bit her lip. When the bony woman failed to return, Yuki watched as the girl unfolded her walking stick and slowly began to tap her way out of the courtyard.

Alone.

----

Yuki followed the girl, not knowing what else to do. It was strange. Was this some memory of hers? She didn't recall such an event. Not specifically, anyhow.

She watched as the little girl paused, looking towards the fading sunlight as one hand reached for the sides of buildings. She waited as the girl thought for a moment, before heading towards the intersection of a busy street.

It was so dark at this point that the streetlamps had begun to light, one by one. One by one. Yuki watched as the girl froze at the edge of the sidewalk, right before the intersection. Yuki knew what was wrong. The streetlamps were confusing the girl; she didn't know which way to go now. Because the sun set at the west, Yuki knew that to get home, the girl would have to take a left at the intersection. But with all the spots of light, which left was right?

Yuki looked around for someone, anyone, who could help the girl. However, the only person she could see was a fat old man on the other side of the intersection, one who was wearing a tee-shirt with some Anime logo on it…Yuki turned her attention back to the girl and gasped when she realized that the girl had begun to cross the intersection.

"No!" Yuki cried, running out on the streets, trying to grab the girl. "Don't go out there! You'll get hurt!"

"Yuki!" a man in a police uniform cried, and both Yuki and the little girl stopped.

"Papa?" the girl whispered, turning towards the voice. "Papa!" she yelled, louder this time. "Where are you!"

"Yuki!" The man was screaming now, and Yuki saw him rush onto the intersection. "Get off the streets!"

_Beep-beep!_

Simultaneously, Yuki and the little girl turned. Bright lights flooded Yuki's vision, and a large, hulking object loomed beyond the lights…Yuki heard the girl gasp, but neither she nor the girl could move. They were little fawns, caught in the headlights.

And those headlights belonged to a speeding, two ton truck.

_BEEP! BEEP!_

_CLUNK!_

Before she could blink, the truck sped right through her, sending chills through her spine but otherwise leaving her unscathed. She quickly turned to see the truck roaring down the intersection, going even faster than before, if that was even possible. Yuki shivered and hugged her upper body. Had she been tangible, she most certainly would have been dead.

Tangible…the girl!

"P-papa…"

Yuki whirled around, her gaze immediately falling on two fallen figures, both ten feet away. The girl was crawling on her hands and knees, her shades gone, her pale blue eyes widening as she groped in the direction of the man. "Papa?" the girl whimpered as she crawled. "Papa…where are you?"

Yuki looked around. The old, fat man across the intersection was backing away in horror, disappearing into the darkness. There was no one else in the area, not even a passing car.

For some strange reason, this all seemed like a distant dream.

"Papa!"

Yuki turned back to the girl, who now holding the man in her grasp, her arms encircling his chest. The man, his body and face bloodied and mangled, croaked out something unintelligible.

The girl on the other hand, was absolutely beside herself. "Papa!" she cried. "What is it? What's wrong? Say something, Papa!"

The man was croaking again, this time louder, with more urgency. "N…nghh…."

"Papa!" The girl was screaming now. Her arms were constricting around the man's chest. "Papa! Don't leave me! Don't die!"

"N…nggh!" The man was struggling a bit now, his wrecked face now twisting into ugly features of pain. "N…nggghhh!"

"PAPA!" the girl shrieked, shrieking so loudly that Yuki had to cover her ears. The girl's grip tightened to impossible lengths, crushing the man's torso. "PAPA! DON'T DIE! PLEASE DON'T DIE!"

"N…no!" Words finally formed in the man's mouth, and his ruined face was now so twisted that Yuki shut her eyes as well as her ears. "N…no! Yuki, no! No, no, no!"

A sharp cracking suddenly echoed throughout the area. The man screamed, a loud, desolate howl into the night air, and a sickening, meaty _SLAP_ followed the cry. The sounds of two bodies hitting the ground came next, before silence descended over them all.

Images suddenly flooded Yuki's brain. Her father…the medics reviving her and examining her bruised eye in the ambulance…her father getting rushed into the emergency room…her father, put into a coma…her father, her father, her father…her retarded Gisei…

----

It was then Yuki found herself in a hospital.

The girl was sitting on a small bench. Her hands were folded neatly into her lap, clutching at a pair of black shades. Her long, dark hair was down, almost concealing the piece of white gauze that was taped over her left eye.

Two attractive young men suddenly burst into the area. One of them, the one with no hair, looked around wildly, until his eyes fell on the girl. "Miss Usagi!" he cried, and rushed to her side.

Yuki gasped. That voice belonged to Koji…

The girl slowly lifted her head, and turned to Koji's direction as he bent down in front of her. "Miss Usagi," he whispered, as he gently gripped her shoulders. "I came as soon as I heard. Are you alright? Where's your father?"

The girl didn't respond, at least not on an audible level. Her dry, cracked lips moved silently as her grip tightened on her shades.

"Miss Usagi?" Koji began to shake her lightly. "Miss Usagi! What's wrong?"

"My…" the girl finally whispered. "My…fault…"

"Your fault?" Koji stared at the girl for a moment, before his face darkened. "No. It's not your fault. Don't ever say it's your fault."

"I don't…remember…what happened…but I think…it's my fault…"

"The police are looking for the driver," the other man said, running a hand nervously through his untidy hair. Yuki recognized his voice as that of detective Arishima's. "Don't worry. Don't be afraid"

The girl shook her head. "My fault…"

"Miss Usagi, stop it!" Koji yelled. "If anything, it's the _driver's_ fault, not _yours_!"

The girl's right eye closed, then opened. "Not…my fault?"

"No." Koji stroked her hair comfortingly. "It's not your fault."

The girl bit her lip. Then, she raised a hand and touched Koji's face. "Why is it…so dark?" she asked softly. Koji gave her a blank stare. He turned to Arishima, who gave the girl a strange look.

"Miss Usagi," Arishima said slowly, "all of the lights are on. It's not dark."

"But…I can't see any light," the girl persisted, before she froze. "I…I can't see. I…" the girl's voice began to quiver. "I…I can't see _anything_…" The girl began to shake and hyperventilate under Koji's hands. "N-no! I—I can't—no!"

"Miss Usagi! Calm down!"

"I—I can't…NO!"

As Koji and Arishima tried desperately to calm the girl down, Yuki turned away from the scene. _This can't be happening…no, I won't believe it…I won't…_ She walked away from the pair, only to find herself facing the backs of another pair.

Hitomi and a faceless doctor.

"So what's the deal, Dr. Kame?" Hitomi asked, her slanted eyes narrowed with anger. Her long, warty, hook nose twitched before she continued. "How's Gisei doing?"

The old doctor sighed, before motioning for Hitomi to follow him. The two quietly slipped into a room, and Yuki quickly followed as the doctor shut the door. Immediately she saw the man from before, _her father_, lying on a white bed, covered from head to toe in bandages and casts. Yuki shoved her fist into her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, while Hitomi merely pursed her thick, too-red lips angrily. "Well?"

Dr. Kame cleared his throat nervously. "Mrs. Usagi, I have some…unfortunate news. Now, I'm sure you're aware that your husband took quite a heavy hit—"

"Get _on_ with it!" Hitomi screeched.

"R-right. Mrs. Usagi, your husband's spine is damaged heavily. His movements from now on may be limited. He'll have to be confined to a wheelchair most of the time."

Hitomi frowned. "Is that all?" she asked.

Dr. Kame shook his head. "There was…something else." He cleared his throat again, and lowered his eyes. "Mrs. Usagi, your husband's ribs were crushed _inward_ by an outside force. A witness said that he saw your daughter…holding Mr. Usagi in panic after the accident. One of his ribs pierced his lung. The internal bleeding was fixed, but he's lost a lot of blood…"

"What does this mean?" Hitomi and Yuki asked simultaneously, one with a worried tone and one with an annoyed tone. The doctor shut his eyes.

"He's going to be mentally damaged for the rest of his life."

Silence descended into the room. Hitomi blinked at the doctor, as if not understanding what was just said. Yuki, on the other hand, stopped breathing entirely. Her right hand clamped over her mouth, and a scream was muffled as she sank to the ground. She kept muffling her screams even when Hitomi stomped out of the room in a fury, followed shortly by the stunned doctor. With her other hand, she began to hit herself on the head repeatedly as she finally released her mouth.

"_It's my fault!_" she screamed, as she pounded mercilessly on her own head. "_Oh my god, it's my fault! It's all my fault! Why didn't someone tell me? WHY!_"

"Yuki…"

Yuki stopped her self-beating. Slowly, she looked up, and saw double.

The comatose Gisei was still lying unconscious on the bed, but sitting on the edge of the bed was another version of her father. A young, healthy, handsome version, who was wearing his old police uniform as he stared at the mangled being on the bed.

"Wow," he said softly. "Did I really look this bad after the accident?"

Yuki blinked. "P-papa?" she whispered, unsure of whether or not she had finally gone insane. The young, healthy Gisei smiled, and beckoned for her to come closer. She didn't move.

"Yuki, it's me," he said, with a sort of gentle finality in his voice. He stood up, and walked over to her as she scooted backwards. He bent down on his knees, and took her hands as she backed up against a white wall. "Don't be afraid," he whispered. "Don't worry."

"W-what do you want, Papa?" Yuki asked, tugging hopelessly at her captive hands. "A-are you here to punish me?"

Gisei tilted his head, the smile lessening slightly. "Not exactly," he said. He gently touched her cheek, and chuckled when Yuki visibly flinched. "I just want to know…how come you never visited me?"

"W-what?"

Gisei gave Yuki a sad smile. "You never came to see me. I was very lonely in the hospital, Yuki. You and your mother…well, I missed you two. I mean, sure, I acted like an idiot, but I just wish you'd come and see me more often."

"Y-you didn't a-act like an i-idiot," Yuki said, hiccupping. "But…aren't you m-mad at me? I…it's all m-my fault…"

"Yuki, I don't want you to take the whole blame," Gisei said. "Yes, you were a factor—" at this Yuki looked down uncomfortably "—but it's no good to blame yourself. I don't want you to take the entire burden, Yuki. But I don't want you to run away from your problems, or hide them away either. Just be responsible for your part. That's all."

Yuki stared at Gisei's dark blue eyes. Her glance darted from him, to the still figure lying in the bed. A tear slid down her face, and she began to cry. "Oh Papa," she whispered, as she brushed away the wetness. "I'm so sorry." More tears fell, and Yuki began to sob uncontrollably. "Papa…I'm so sorry, Papa! I'm so sorry…" The young Gisei smiled, and moved forward to embrace Yuki.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a black and pink blob rushed into the room, pushing out the whiteness, tearing Gisei away from Yuki's arms as the masses devoured Yuki, covering her, entwining themselves around her body…

"Yuki!" Gisei cried, as he was forced apart.

"NO!" Yuki screamed, reaching for Gisei's outstretched hand. "NO! PAPA!"

_Yuki…_

Yuki froze. That hiss…

_Yuki. Don't leave us. We need you._

It was Maromi's and Lil' Slugger's voice, combined.

_Yuki. Don't abandon us. Let us live._

Yuki screamed, and fought against their bindings, which only grew tighter around her body. Suddenly, the black portion of the blob twisted towards her, and stopped in front of her face. Yuki stared in horror as the portion of blob melted away, revealing a person's head, one that had shaggy brown hair under a red hat, one whose face was wrinkled, like an old man's, one who had eyes that were red, redder than blood itself. The head stared at her and growled, revealing sharp, knife-like teeth.

_I won't let you go,_ it said._ I'll never let you go! You are MINE!_

Yuki spat at the head, and reached into her pocket. It was so obvious what she had to do now, so clear…she pulled out the crumpled, wrinkled sketch of both Maromi and Lil' Slugger.

_NO!_

The head roared, and melted back into a blob. The bindings tightened to impossible strengths, and Yuki was now having trouble breathing. With all her might, she took hold of the sketch, and tore it in half, straight down the middle of Maromi and Lil' Slugger.

The blobs, both pink and black, began to _howl_, and the masses began to twist and scream as the world around her began to whirl into a mess of colors. The blobs melted away, and Yuki realized that nothing was supporting her underneath…the floor was gone…

She fell down, down, down into nothingness. The world around her began to go black, back into the familiar darkness that sheltered her for so long…She heard her father's voice cry out as his hand grasped her arm…

She shut her eyes, and let herself fall.

----

It was dark.

It was cold.

Something was on her.

Something was behind her.

Yuki opened her eyes—or tried to. When she couldn't get past the darkness, she tried to get up, only to find herself held down by something that rested like a dead weight on her lap, and something that had her in a vice-like hold from behind. She touched the object on her lap.

In response, Arishima groaned softly through the sheets, and held her closer.

Soft crying came from the thing behind her. "Scared," Gisei whimpered, holding her tight. "Scared! Pretty lady, I scared!"

Yuki couldn't speak. Instead, she closed her eyes and leaned into her father's hold. She wouldn't leave him alone. Never again.

The two pieces of sketch flew off into the streets, as snow began to fall lightly from the gray skies.

----

Clack. Clack.

An attractive young woman walked briskly through the streets, as an obese young man tagged behind her, carrying several yellow shopping bags.

"_I just don't want to go! Look, I'm sorry, but I'm just not interested, and that's the truth. I have a life too, and it doesn't always revolve around you!"_

Clack. Clack.

An elderly man poured two pills out of a red container, and popped both tablets into his mouth. A twenty-year-old blond man stuck his tongue at his mother's back, and shoved his blue baseball cap over his eyes as she chose a new red sweater for him.

"_Alright! You want to know the truth? I lied about being held up at the office. I just can't stand to be around your goddamn parents!"_

Clack. Clack. Zing!

A blonde woman sat with her son in the plastic surgeon's office, both with unfathomable expressions and red lipstick on their faces.

"_I'm sorry, but I have to cancel. I have an appointment with someone else. It's not your business who I'm with! I'm not going to be there, alright?"_

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The man watched as the light from the fireplace flooded into the room, illuminating the woman sitting on the white sofa. Dressed in a pair of white slacks and a grey cashmere sweater, with her hair tied into an elegant bun, the twenty-six-year-old woman slowly pressed the keys of her special typewriter. Despite the darkness, she didn't open her eyes. She didn't need to. She knew the feeling of the keys all too well.

"You don't have to come see me anymore, you know," the woman said suddenly, her fingers pausing over the keys. "You're already reinstated into the police force, and you have made tremendous progress over the past years. Seeing me is no longer necessary, Hotaka."

The thirty-six-year-old man smiled as she resumed typing. "Old habits die hard, Doc," he replied softly. "I just don't feel right without seeing you every week."

"Your nightmares have stopped, haven't they?"

The man chuckled. "Well, they're not as frequent anymore. I still see some images, from time to time. You know…that dark monster with red eyes, with a large golden stick of some kind…and this youngish woman, wearing some white dress…"

"How frequent are these images?" the woman asked, pulling out the page from the typewriter and inserting a clean sheet.

The man frowned as he scratched his head. "Err…once in a blue moon, I guess."

"They'll go away," the woman said, decidedly. "Your dreams are nothing more than a symbol of some fear or paranoia that's been troubling you. When people are emotionally cornered, their mentality sometimes creates hallucinations and dreams that either shield them from the problem, or force them to confront it." The woman thought for a moment, before adding, "Or if they've been trying to solve the problem in an ineffective manner."

"You realize," the man replied, "that I don't understand a word you just said, right?"

"Oh, Hotaka…"

For a moment, the room descended into silence. Then the man asked, "What're you writing about, Doc?"

"Hmm?" The woman stopped typing. She felt the paper, and a grim smile made its way across her face. "It's just a story that came into my head. It's about a little boy, who skates around in golden rollerblades and a red baseball cap, hitting people on the head with a twisted, golden metal bat."

The man blinked. Then he exhaled loudly. "Oh…wow. Doc, you've got some mind there. You sure you're not a murderer yourself? I mean, a kid that hits people with a bat? That's just…wow."

"Don't worry," the woman said reassuringly. "This isn't going to be published. I'm just writing to get it out of my system."

"Oh, good. For a moment, I thought I was going to have to throw my own shrink into a mental asylum."

"Very funny."

The man laughed, as the woman resumed typing. "You know, Doc, the police think they've finally got some sort of solid theory on the Tokyo Disaster. You know, the one that caused the entire city to have amnesia eight years ago."

"Where no one could remember what happened in the course of four months?"

"Yeah," the man answered. "They think it's some sort of suicide cult, one that tried to destroy the whole city by releasing some mind altering gas."

The woman stopped typing, and shook her head. "I think the earthquake theory was a better one," she said.

"Yeah, well…" The man shrugged. "What're you gonna do? The new Chief just appointed Garyou as Lieutenant, and he's been having a hard time since his reinstatement..."

"The poor man," the woman commented.

Silence fell again. The woman set the typewriter down on the floor and reached carefully for the cup of tea that rested on the table next to her. She handed it slowly to the man, one hand reaching for his, while the other balanced the cup. "Your tea's getting cold, Hotaka. On a day like this, cold tea is not the beverage of choice."

"Naw. I like drinking ice tea in December." Despite his statement, however, the man sipped cautiously at his cooling tea, frowning before he reached for the sugar bowl and picked up two lumps. "There's nothing like drinking tea with the woman you admire," the man said, dropping his sugar into his cup. He smirked when the woman nearly dropped her own cup. "I'm sorry…did I over step the 'patient and doctor boundary' again?"

The woman's hand shook slightly, but her face remained calm. "It's common for patients to grow attached to their doctor," the woman said coolly. She poured cream into her cup, spilling some over the top. "However…I'm starting to worry that you might have developed a sort of dependency on me. I told you to start dating a nice girl two months ago. How's that going?"

The man snorted, and reached for more sugar. "I gave up the playboy life…more or less. It's just not that fun anymore."

"Why? Did you go through all the whores already?"

The man's jaw dropped slightly, before he laughed. "Whores? Really Doc, I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary."

"_Hotaka…_"

"Right, right. Sorry. But anyway, why should I date again? I'm getting too old. And besides, I have _you_, Doc. You're the only woman I need."

The woman, who had been in the middle of drinking, coughed and choked on her tea. The man got up, startled, and immediately ran over to her side, patting her back as she coughed up the tea. When her coughing died down, she breathed deeply as she moved away from his hand, which was now in the process of _rubbing_ her back.

"No," she said. "Not me. I told you so many times…not me."

"Why _not_ you?" the man asked. "You're not married, and I already know and like your father. I worked with him before his…accident."

"It's not just that," she said softly. "I…I…It is unprofessional behavior. I'm your doctor."

"Is that what's bothering you? Fine. I'll stop coming as a patient. I want to court you, Doc. How's dinner at seven sound to you?"

"Hotaka, please!" the woman cried. "I…I…I don't know. I just _know_ you. You won't like taking care of a blind woman who might need you most of the day. I can't cook well, and then there's my father and his nursemaid—"

"Which I know all about," the man answered. "Come on Doc—Yuki. Please? Just try one dinner. This Friday. I know this great place…what's the worst that could happen?"

The woman gave him a skeptical look.

"Don't answer that. Answer _this_ instead. What's the _best_ that could happen?"

The woman remained silent. The man bent down and took one of her hands.

"We could fall in love, Yuki."

The woman didn't answer. The man held onto her hand, looking carefully at her face, trying to see any sign of emotion, trying to see past the dark shades that covered her pale blue eyes…instead, the timer that sat on the edge of the table rang loudly. "Your session's over, Hotaka," the woman said quietly. "I'll see you next week."

The man stared at her face, looking desperately. There was nothing, no emotion that gave him a positive message. Releasing her hand, he stood up dejectedly and walked slowly out of the room.

The woman listened as his footsteps echoed off the marble floor, heading towards the door. Suddenly, he stopped. His quiet breathing told her that he was still in the room, watching her. The woman forced herself to stay still as her mind screamed.

_What are you waiting for, detective? There is nothing I can give you…Nothing! You are wasting both of our times…all for your stupid lust… _

Finally he turned and left, shutting the door gently behind him.

The woman remained seated. She sat there, listening to the fire crackling in the hearth, feeling the warmth of the flames seeping into her skin. She took a breath, inhaling the scent of the room.

_No._

She bent down and pulled the page out of the typewriter. She ran her hands over the sheet; the ink still wet. On the very top, next to several crossed out words, the title read, _Paranoia Agent_.

_No more._

She felt her way to her desk, and opened the bottom drawer, where a stack of old, brittle, browning paper lay in an unorganized heap.

_Never again._

She grabbed the papers and felt her way towards the flames. When the heat began to get excruciating, she stopped.

_You will never appear as long as I'm alive._

She stood there, hesitating.

_You may be the demon…_

She threw the papers into the fire, and stepped back as the fire began to hiss and roar, as if disagreeing with the substance thrown into it.

…_but I am your agent. I will do with you as I wish._

She smiled as the smell of burning paper filled the room.

----

In the nursery of the house, the middle-aged man smiled as he doodled on the white paper.

"Pretty bunny," he said happily. "Pretty lady bunny."

"Yes, it is a pretty bunny!" the nursemaid said, smiling as she looked down on the picture. "And here's a pretty horsey, and a pretty birdy, and a pretty ant-thingy…"

"No pretty ant!" Gisei yelled in protest. "_Funny_ ant!"

"What's going on?" a man said, walking into the room. Gisei looked up, and a look of joy came into his features.

"Funny man!" he cried. "Funny man! Play with me!"

The man smiled. "Sorry Lieutenant," he said apologetically. "I have to go. I need a drink."

"W-we have drinks here, Captain Arishima," the nursemaid said bashfully, as a blush spread across her cheeks. The man shook his head.

"I can't. Yu—your _boss_ is a bit upset at me. I'll wait a week before I come back." He smiled at the nursemaid, before giving Gisei a two-fingered salute. "I'll see you around, Lieutenant."

"Bye, funny man!" Gisei yelled as the man left. He returned to his papers as the nursemaid ran after the captain, and picked up a pencil. He shuffled the drawings aside, and grabbed a clean sheet of paper as he began to work.

His friend at the hospital had done this many times. He had watched him, as the strange man wrote on the streets, in chalk…it looked fun, even though his friend's explanations and speeches confused him.

Numbers and letters appeared into his head, and he wrote it all down. Soon, one sheet was filled, followed by another, and another, and another…soon, the floor of the white nursery was littered with papers filled with equations.

Cycles. For some reason, he kept thinking about cycles. Bicycles? No. Motorcycles? No.

Suddenly, his mind went blank.

Did he do something wrong? No, it couldn't be. But…did this mean he reached the end?

He wrote an equal sign.

He thought for a moment.

His eyes widened.

His lips broke into a smile.

"Find answer! Find answer! Cycle is—"

----

**The Prophets' Declaration**

**_(The stage is pitch black and bare. Suddenly, a spotlight comes on, brightening only the center of the stage. A young Gisei enters stage left, and an older Yuki enters stage right. They meet in the spotlight, each one facing the other, before Gisei takes Yuki's hand and faces the audience.)_**

**Young Gisei: To begin…the stage has been cleared. Every piece has been reset, every player once again assigned to their place of origin.**

**Older Yuki: As things come full circle, stray strands of lost events linger on in few. Dreams and visions, purity and sin, desire and temptation…all seem to point to one realization…**

**Young Gisei: One answer…**

**Older Yuki: One fate.**

**Young Gisei: While the cycle as a whole remains unchangeable, nothing and everything has been altered. There is hope.**

**Older Yuki: There is perseverance by one.**

**Young Gisei: There is choice forevermore.**

**Older Yuki: Well, that's the end of _this_ tale.**

**Young Gisei: We bid you all farewell.**

**_(The lights dim as Gisei and Yuki remain on stage, still holding hands. They fade into the darkness, becoming less and less visible. Finally, they are gone.)_**


End file.
